Objectives: To examine how the students of a nursing high school assess the competencies and personal qualities of their mentors; To establish whether there is a difference in the assessment of competencies of a school vocational mentor and a vocational mentor who works in an institution where the students undergo their vocation-specific training. Study design: Cross-sectional study Participants and methods: 77 students of the Srednja škola u Maruševcu s pravom javnosti (Maruševec accredited high school), who were trained in the vocational programme for nursing students, were filling in a modified standardized questionnaire - The Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory (Knox, J.E. & Mogan, J., 1985). They assessed their mentors in the following areas: teaching competencies, vocational area, evaluation of the pedagogical process, characteristics of the mentor's interpersonal relations as well as personal characteristics. Results: The vocational mentor who works in an institution where the students undergo their vocation-specific training was awarded a significantly higher grade in the scale for vocational competencies (p=0.001) and for the competency of evaluating the pedagogical process (p=0.04). Overall grades in teaching competencies, vocational area and evaluating the pedagogical process have shown no significant differences between the school vocational mentor and the vocational mentor who works in an institution where the students undergo their vocation-specific training. Both were statistically above the mark 4. The category which was considered vital by the students in regards to both mentors was „He seemed organized“. Conclusion: Mentors that are involved in educating the nurses have been awarded very good grades for their competencies by their students. However, there is room for professional development of the mentors in order to ensure an even higher standard of education for the nurses. It is vital to find a way to ensure permanent professional development of mentors in nursing high schools, particularly for those who lack a significant number of years of experience in the nursing vocation.