Colorado Locum Tenens Jobs: Opportunities, Licensing & Pay

Colorado is better known for its ski towns and Front Range cities than for its healthcare workforce challenges, but the numbers tell a different story.

Forty-seven of Colorado’s 64 counties are classified as rural or frontier, making up 73% of the state’s total landmass. The average rural county covers over 1,600 square miles. Eleven counties have no hospital at all.

The communities spread across Colorado’s eastern plains, San Luis Valley, western slope, and mountain corridors depend on locum tenens providers to fill persistent gaps that permanent recruitment alone cannot close. Wilderness Medical Staffing works with physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and CRNAs to find Colorado assignments that fit their careers, not just their availability.

Whether you are researching Colorado locum tenens salary ranges, working through state licensing requirements, or actively looking for your next assignment, you will find what you need below.

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Colorado Locum Tenens Opportunities by Profession

Each card below summarizes what locum tenens work looks like for each profession in Colorado. For licensing details and guides, continue down the page.

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Physician (MD/DO)

Practice across a broad scope at Colorado CAHs and rural facilities, from clinic and inpatient rounding to emergency care in communities where the distance to a regional center is measured in hours, not minutes.

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Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Colorado is a full practice authority state. Work independently in frontier and rural communities where the average county covers over 1,600 square miles and access to a consistent primary care provider is far from guaranteed.

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Physician Assistant (PA-C)

Take on a comprehensive clinical role at rural Colorado facilities where your presence is what keeps essential services available to communities hours from the nearest urban hospital.

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CRNA

Serve as the anesthesia provider at rural Colorado CAHs and community hospitals where surgical access depends entirely on your presence and the case mix reflects the full range of what a small facility requires.

What Locum Tenens Work in Colorado Is Actually Like

Colorado’s rural healthcare facilities serve communities that are geographically and culturally distinct from the state’s urban population centers. The eastern plains stretch for hundreds of miles of agricultural land with small towns that are an hour or more from the nearest city.

The San Luis Valley, one of the poorest regions in the state, has a largely agricultural and Hispanic population with significant unmet healthcare needs. The western slope and mountain communities face a different kind of access challenge: seasonal population swings, high housing costs, and providers who leave for higher-paying urban positions.

Colorado is a full practice authority state for nurse practitioners and a full IMLC member state for physicians. NPs practice without a required supervision or collaboration agreement. Physicians have access to the IMLC expedited pathway if they hold an active license in another compact state. Colorado does not issue temporary licenses for NPs or PAs, which makes starting the application process early especially important for those two professions.

Types of Facilities

  • Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs): 32 CAHs serve rural and frontier communities across Colorado, providing inpatient, emergency, and clinic care where no other hospital access exists
  • Rural Health Clinics (RHCs): 62 RHCs offer structured outpatient primary care in smaller communities, with consistent patient panels and predictable schedules
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): community health centers serving underserved populations across rural and frontier Colorado, often with a focus on agricultural workers and low-income families
  • Frontier county facilities: clinics and small hospitals in counties with fewer than 6 residents per square mile, where a single provider can be the primary source of care for an enormous geographic area
  • Mountain and resort community facilities: a distinct setting with seasonal demand peaks, high injury volumes, and patient populations that shift dramatically between summer and winter

Colorado Locum Tenens Salary & Assignment Structure

Pay for Colorado locum tenens assignments varies by profession, facility type, location, and experience. Frontier and rural settings generally support competitive compensation that reflects the independence and breadth of clinical work involved. Housing and travel are coordinated as part of every assignment. For specific salary ranges by profession, connect with our team directly.

What's IncludedDetails
Pay StructureHourly, daily, or call-based depending on the facility and role
HousingArranged for the duration of your assignment
TravelRound-trip airfare coordinated
Malpractice InsuranceA-rated coverage included
OvertimeHigher rates for 40+ hours/week at select locations
SupportLicensing, credentialing, and on-assignment support included

Colorado Locum Tenens Licensing

Colorado requires a state-specific license for each profession. Timelines are among the faster ones in the West for NPs and PAs, but neither profession has a temporary license option, making it critical to start the application process well before your intended start date. Physician applications average approximately 60 days, with IMLC offering a faster pathway for eligible providers.

All Colorado professions share the same online licensing portal and the same electronic fingerprinting vendors. One important rule applies across all three: do not submit fingerprints until you are ready to submit your full application, as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and FBI results must be received before a license can be issued.

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Physicians (MD/DO)

License issued by the Colorado Medical Board. FSMB Uniform Application and FCVS credentials verification required. IMLC available for eligible physicians. Temporary license available for up to 180 days (not renewable). Three professional references, notarized affidavit, and passport-style photograph required.

Colorado Physician Licensing Guide Coming Soon

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Nurse Practitioners (APRN)

APN registration and separate RXN (prescriptive authority) designation both issued by the Colorado Board of Nursing. NLC compact RN accepted, and C-APN applicants with a multistate RN license skip the Colorado RN endorsement step. No temporary license available. APN and RXN applications can be submitted simultaneously. Typical timeline 2 to 4 weeks.

Colorado Nurse Practitioner Licensing Guide →

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Physician Assistant (PA-C)

PA-C license issued by the Colorado Medical Board. FSMB disciplinary history verification and NCCPA certification required. No temporary license available. Board estimates approximately 30 days for a complete application. WMS coordinates any required collaboration agreement with the facility after assignment confirmation.

Colorado PA Licensing Guide →

All prescribers also need a DEA registration with an Alaska address and enrollment in the Alaska Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) before beginning work. WMS assists providers with licensing coordination throughout the process.

Why Providers Choose Wilderness Medical Staffing

15+

years placing providers across
the rural West

155+

communities served across Montana and Alaska

98%+

of providers take additional
assignments with WMS

Wilderness Medical Staffing was founded by a healthcare provider who saw firsthand what rural Alaska communities needed and worked to make sure they could access it. That origin shapes how we approach every placement we make, focused on fit, not just availability.

When you work with WMS, you receive:

  • Assignment matching based on your specialty, experience, and preferences
  • Licensing and credentialing assistance from start to finish
  • Housing and travel coordination for every assignment
  • Ongoing support before, during, and after your time on location
  • Access to a network built across 15+ years in rural and remote healthcare

We specialize in building structured provider rotations that return the same clinicians to the same communities on a consistent schedule. For providers, it means building real patient relationships. For communities, it means the continuity of care that makes a measurable difference over time. Over 98% of our providers take additional assignments with WMS.

Current Colorado Locum Tenens
Job Openings

Browse current and upcoming opportunities across Colorado below. For profession-specific listings, visit the individual pages above.

Permanent Oncology NP – Rural SW Colorado

  • Location CO
  • Date July 7, 2026
  • Remote Id 05979

05979 – If you’re an Oncology Nurse Practitioner (NP) looking for meaningful work, strong support, and beautiful, rural living — this opportunity delivers all three. Join a well-established Cancer Center providing comprehensive […]

Staffing a Facility in Colorado?

Wilderness Medical Staffing works with critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and other healthcare organizations across Colorado. If you are looking for locum tenens coverage, visit our employer staffing page or submit a staffing request and our team will be in touch.

Ready to Explore Colorado Locum Tenens Opportunities?

Connect with our team to learn more about current and upcoming assignments, compensation, and what to expect from a locum tenens placement in Colorado.