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Can a physician assistant inject or prescribe in Colorado?

Who treats · part of The Practice Perimeter

A physician assistant must enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician or a physician group under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-240-114.5(2)(a); the physician entering into the agreement must be actively practicing in Colorado with a regular and reliable physical presence in Colorado; and the agreement must include the physician assistant's name, license number, and primary location of practice, the signatures of both parties, a description of the physician assistant's process for collaboration, a description of the performance evaluation process, and any additional requirements specific to the physician assistant's practice that the physician imposes.

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-240-114.5(2)(a) · verified Sep 8, 2026 · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice

The rest of what Colorado says on this

Every other rule we have verified under rn / np scope for injectables, each linked to its primary source.

  • Prescriptive authority is not part of APRN registration; the board grants it separately to an APRN on the advanced practice registry whose license is in good standing without disciplinary sanctions and who has met the requirements of § 12-255-112. Authority extends to prescribing “TO PROVIDE TREATMENT TO CLIENTS WITHIN THE ROLE AND POPULATION FOCUS OF THE ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE” — so a pediatric focus is not a warrant to prescribe cosmetically to adults.

    Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-255-112(1)(a), (3)(a) · verified Sep 2, 2026

  • An APRN applying for prescriptive authority must provide the board with an appropriate graduate degree, education in controlled substances and prescription drugs, national certification, professional liability insurance, inclusion on the advanced practice registry, and “A SIGNED ATTESTATION STATING THAT THE ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE HAS COMPLETED AT LEAST THREE YEARS OF COMBINED CLINICAL WORK EXPERIENCE as a professional nurse or as an advanced practice registered nurse.”

    Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-255-112(4)(a) · verified Sep 2, 2026

  • ⚠️ WHAT IS FIRST GRANTED IS PROVISIONAL. To keep provisional authority and reach full authority the APRN “MUST OBTAIN SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY HOURS OF DOCUMENTED EXPERIENCE IN A MUTUALLY STRUCTURED PRESCRIBING MENTORSHIP” with a physician or a fully authorized APRN or certified midwife. The mentor “MUST BE PRACTICING IN COLORADO” and have education, training, experience and an active practice corresponding to the mentee’s role and population focus.

    Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-255-112(4)(b)(I)(A) · verified Sep 2, 2026

  • Remote mentoring is allowed but bounded: “REMOTE COMMUNICATION WITH THE MENTOR IS PERMISSIBLE WITHIN THE MENTORSHIP AS LONG AS THE COMMUNICATION IS SYNCHRONOUS. SYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION DOES NOT INCLUDE COMMUNICATION BY E-MAIL.” A mentorship conducted by chart review and inbox does not count toward the 750 hours.

    Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-255-112(4)(b)(I)(B) · verified Sep 2, 2026

  • ⚠️ AND THE MENTORSHIP MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TIED TO A JOB. “THE PHYSICIAN OR ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE SERVING AS A MENTOR SHALL NOT REQUIRE PAYMENT OR EMPLOYMENT AS A CONDITION OF ENTERING INTO THE MENTORSHIP RELATIONSHIP”, though the mentor may request reimbursement of reasonable expenses and time. A med spa cannot make supervising its own nurse practitioner a condition of that practitioner working there.

    Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-255-112(4)(b)(I)(C) · verified Sep 2, 2026

  • It is unprofessional conduct for a physician to enter into or continue a mentorship relationship with an APRN or certified midwife “THAT FAILS TO MEET GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS OF MEDICAL PRACTICE.” The supervising physician is exposed by the quality of the mentorship itself, not only by the delegate’s work.

    Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-240-121(1)(bb) · verified Sep 2, 2026

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← All Colorado rules and changes · MedSpaRadar is regulatory monitoring and reference, not legal, medical, or compliance advice. Verify against the linked primary source and consult qualified counsel before acting — rules change and turn on your specific facts. Legislative data via LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).