Novice nurses in the hospital setting face many challenges to successfully make the transition into practice. Mentoring has been suggested as a means to assist new nurses to adapt. Characteristics of mentors may influence job satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between characteristics of mentors and job satisfaction of novice nurses at 3 and 6 months following orientation. The organizing framework for the descriptive study is Benner's Novice to Expert. The study will be conducted at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, Central Mississippi Medical Center, St. Dominic's Hospital, and River Oaks Hospital. It is anticipated that 100 new graduate nurses will participate. The Darling Measuring Mentoring Potential Questionnaire and the McCluskey/Mueller Scale will be used. Permission will be obtained from Ball State University Institutional Review Board and from participating hospitals. The findings will provide information about characteristics of mentors that promote job satisfaction with new graduate nurses.