Identification of facilitators and barriers to the role of a mentor in the clinical setting.

Clinical mentors are integral to the education of health care professionals. In Northeastern Ontario, Canada, clinical mentors can take a variety of forms. Examples include preceptors who are employees in a clinical setting working with an individual student for a specific period of time, clinical educators, individuals contracted to take a group of students in acute care settings, and faculty advisors, who facilitate students' community placements.