The Portfolio Pathway (formerly CESR) is the GMC’s route to UK Specialist Registration in Vascular Surgery 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 vascular surgeons with open and endovascular experience across arterial, venous, and vascular access practice, guiding you from an honest eligibility assessment through evidence mapping against the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland / Royal College of Surgeons curriculum to a submission-ready application.
This was the best course I have ever attended for CESR. Mr. Nanjappa is a genius and a master of his craft. He explained everything in a clear and concise manner, and gave us invaluable tips and tricks. He also provided us with a lot of resources and support. I feel much more confident and motivated after attending his workshop. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is serious about CESR.
“Mr. Nanjappa is an amazing teacher and mentor. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in CESR, and he shared it with us generously. He was very approachable and friendly, and answered all our questions patiently. He also gave us honest and constructive feedback on our portfolios and interviews. He made the whole process seem easy and fun. I learned a lot from him and I am very grateful for his guidance.”
“I attended Mr. Nanjappa’s workshop after struggling with my CESR application for months. I was feeling lost and frustrated, and I didn’t know where to start or what to do. But after attending his workshop, everything changed. He showed me the right way to approach CESR, and he gave me a clear plan and direction. He also inspired me with his success story and his passion for general surgery. He is a true role model and a leader in his field. I am so glad I joined his programme.”
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 Vascular Surgery 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).
It raises a gap reviewers will query, since modern UK vascular practice is endovascular-first for many pathologies. We help applicants in this position build a targeted evidence or short-fellowship plan to close the gap before submission rather than risk an avoidable rejection.