Portfolio Pathway (CESR) Support in Neurosurgery
Tailored Support for Aspiring Consultants
Overview
The Portfolio Pathway (formerly CESR) is the GMC’s route to UK Specialist Registration in Neurosurgery for doctors who have not completed a GMC-approved training programme, but who can demonstrate the Capabilities in Practice (CiPs) expected of a UK day-one consultant. Dr Nikhil Nanjappa’s Portfolio Pathway Support Programme provides bespoke, one-to-one mentorship for neurosurgeons with independent cranial and/or spinal operative experience, often including subspecialty fellowship training, guiding you from an honest eligibility assessment through evidence mapping against the Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS) / Royal College of Surgeons curriculum to a submission-ready application.
Who This Pathway Is For
- Internationally trained neurosurgery doctors seeking UK Specialist Registration outside a GMC-approved training programme
- Doctors who have completed part of their training on an approved UK programme but need a Portfolio Pathway route to complete registration
- Consultants and senior doctors already practising who need their existing experience formally mapped to GMC CiPs
This model is built for every doctor who wants a structured, achievable route to UK Specialist Registration.
What are the testimonials from previous participants?
Success Stories
Additional Details
What the GMC Expects: Neurosurgery Evidence
- Operative logbook covering cranial, spinal, and emergency neurosurgical cases
- Evidence of neuro-oncology, vascular, or spinal MDT participation as appropriate to practice
- Outcome and complication audit data demonstrating safe independent practice
How Dr Nikhil's Programme Helps
- Honest, structured eligibility and gap assessment against the current Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS) / Royal College of Surgeons Specialty Specific Guidance (SSG)
- One-to-one evidence mapping to every CiP in the Neurosurgery curriculum
- Portfolio structuring, reflective writing support, and referee-report guidance
- Mentorship from a doctor who has been through the Portfolio Pathway process himself, and has mentored 100+ doctors to consultant status across specialties
Introducing Your Doctor
About Dr. Nikhil Nanjappa
- Consultant GI & Colorectal Surgeon
- UK-trained; among the youngest to complete FRCS & CESR
- Lead, Department of Gastroenterology & Colorectal Surgery – Avant BKG Hospitals, Mysore
- Founder of the international Portfolio Pathway Support Programme
- Has mentored nearly 100 doctors worldwide
- Deep expertise in curriculum mapping, portfolio structuring & GMC evidence standards
- Known for delivering honest, practical, highly personalised mentorship
Get in Touch
Contact Dr. Nikhil Nanjappa
Call/Mail Us
Connect with Dr. Nikhil Nanjappa on Social Media
Frequently Asked Question's
Most applicants take 12–24 months to build a complete, well-mapped portfolio, depending on how much of your existing practice is already documented. The programme works with you to build a realistic evidence-collection timeline from your first eligibility review.
No. Portfolio Pathway applications in Neurosurgery can be built and submitted from anywhere in the world, provided your evidence — case logs, referee reports, audits, and outcome data — is independently verifiable and recent (the GMC prioritises evidence from the past five years).
Fellowship and post-CCT-equivalent experience is valuable evidence, particularly for demonstrating current, maintained practice within the five-year recency window the GMC prioritises. It should be referenced and mapped to the relevant CiPs alongside your core operative logbook, not submitted as a standalone document.