Can CAAs practice in Colorado?
Yes — CAAs are licensed in Colorado.
Colorado licenses AAs through the Colorado Medical Board under the Medical Practice Act; apply via DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations with CAAHEP-accredited program completion and NCCAA certification. Practicing in a hospital or ambulatory surgical center also requires authorization from that facility's governing board.
- Legal authority
- C.R.S. § 12-240-112 (formerly § 12-36-107.3); Colo. Med. Bd. Rule 1.16 (3 CCR 713-1)
- Effective
- 2012
- Supervision
- A supervising physician anesthesiologist must remain immediately available throughout the anesthesia service; no physician may concurrently supervise more than four AAs (Board Rule 1.16).
- Last verified
- 2026-08-12
Notes
CAAs practiced in Colorado under physician delegation since 1988; the licensure statute was enacted in 2012 (2012 Colo. Sess. Laws ch. 238, 'Concerning Licensure of Anesthesiologist Assistants') as § 12-36-107.3 and recodified to § 12-240-112 in the 2019 Title 12 recodification. No 2025-2026 CAA-specific bills found. Citation URL is a current unofficial mirror; the official CRS is published through the General Assembly and board rules via the Secretary of State (linked in sources).