As used in this article 76.5, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. (1) Health-care professional means a physician, physician assistant, physical therapist, nurse, including nurse practitioner, pharmacist, dentist, professional counselor, psychologist, social worker, or marriage and family therapist who is registered, certified, or licensed pursuant to title 12 and who is subject to credentialing. Health-care professional also includes a public health professional who is not required to be registered, certified, or licensed pursuant to state law.
2. (2) Health-care professionals rural track or rural track means a health-care professionals rural track or program established by an institution pursuant to section 23-76.5-102.
3. (3) Initiative means the Colorado rural health-care workforce initiative established in this article 76.5.
4. (4) Institution of higher education or institution means state institutions as defined in section 23-18-102 (10)(a), local district colleges, and area technical colleges.
5. (5) Preceptor means a health-care professional who is registered, certified, or licensed, as appropriate, pursuant to title 12 who assumes the responsibility of teaching, supervising, and evaluating a student seeking a degree in a health-care profession discipline as part of the student's clinical training and education in a rural or frontier county.
6. (6) Rural or frontier county means a county in Colorado designated by the state office of rural health, known as the Colorado rural health center, as a rural or frontier county.
7. (7) Rural program office means the office that administers the university of Colorado's school of medicine's rural program at the health sciences center campus.

Source: L. 2022: Entire article added, (SB 22-172), ch. 298, p. 2130, § 2, effective June 1.