CNS · Colorado
Supervision Agreement for Clinical Nurse Specialists in Colorado
No. Clinical Nurse Specialists practice independently here. Colorado does not require one.
CNS is a registrable APRN role in Colorado (§ 12-255-111(2)) under the same full-independence framework as `np` — no CNS-specific supervision or scope restriction was found, unlike Texas's CNS entry (which gates prescriptive authority behind dedicated coursework many CNS programs lack). Colorado's 750-hour prescribing mentorship (see `np`) applies uniformly, not as an extra CNS-specific hurdle.
What the supervision must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
No proximity requirement
Same as `np` — no codified proximity/reachability rule beyond the general § 12-255-111(5) safe-consultation-mechanism standard.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
3 CCR 716-1.15 § E(2) applies the same national-certification-exam requirement to CNS as to NP — unlike Texas, no separate CNS-specific coursework prerequisite (e.g., Texas's ≥45-clock-hour pharmacotherapeutics/pathophysiology/health-assessment requirement) was found gating CNS prescriptive authority in Colorado.
Written agreement
Not required
Unconditional — identical to `np`: no supervising or collaborating physician relationship of any kind is required for CNS clinical practice.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Non-licensee ownership permitted — Same as the general `np` entry — CNSs are an APRN role under § 12-255-111(2), so the same § 12-255-104/-111 analysis applies identically.
This ownership analysis does not extend to any service outside this provider's own APRN scope (e.g., delegated medical-aesthetic procedures — see Colorado Medical Board Rule 800, 3 CCR 713-30), which stays physician-controlled regardless of the APRN's own practice-entity ownership.
Legal sources for these rules (2)
What a supervising physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Colorado
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Clinical Nurse Specialist. Standard-tier state.
About Colorado's rules
Colorado is a full-practice-authority state for all five APRN roles (NP/PMHNP/CRNA/CNM/CNS) — no physician agreement is ever required to practice. APRNs instead face a 750-hour prescribing mentorship (not necessarily physician-led) before 'full' (vs. 'provisional') prescriptive authority — a credentialing gate, not a supervision relationship. PAs moved from physician 'supervision' to an hours-gated 'collaborative agreement' under SB23-083 (2023) — not 'HB23-1214,' which could not be located and appears to be a misattribution. Colorado licenses estheticians; it has not deregulated the profession.
Other clinicians in Colorado: see the state overview.