What is a collaborative practice agreement called in Colorado?

In Colorado, a collaborative practice agreement is called a Mentorship Agreement. This agreement is required only when an APRN seeks prescriptive authority; otherwise, APRNs generally practice independently in this full practice state¹². A Mentor may be a physician or, under certain criteria, an APRN with full prescriptive authority¹.

The Mentorship Agreement must be in writing, signed by the APRN and Mentor(s), and outline the process, documentation, and frequency for ongoing synchronous communication about prescriptive practice to ensure safe prescribing³. Synchronous communication is real-time, secure communication (such as audio, web, or video conferencing) and does not include email³⁴.

APRNs and Mentors must retain the Mentorship Agreement for three years after completion and make it available to the Board upon request⁵. If a Mentor can no longer continue, the APRN must secure a replacement and enter into a new Mentorship Agreement; documentation of successful completion is provided to support the application for Full Prescriptive Authority⁶⁷.