Mentoring in nursing is a concept that merits close scrutiny in today's chaotic health care environment. Mentors can shape a positive environment for nurses to nurture career development, satisfaction and leadership. One of the issues of mentoring is that there is no agreement as to the role and functions of a mentor. Most of the controversy deals with the similarities and differences between mentors and preceptors. The purposes of this study were to identify attributes of mentors as perceived by orthopaedic nurses and to identify who orthopaedic nurses feel are the most appropriate persons to serve as mentors. This may enable nursing leaders to develop specific programs and strategies to increase job satisfaction and nurse retention among orthopaedic nurses.