Portfolio Pathway (formerly CESR) registration

Please note that in providing you with any advice and guidance in respect of your Portfolio Pathway application, we cannot give guarantees or opinions as to the likelihood of your application being successful, nor can any such advice guarantee success in any application.

Doctors must be registered on the GMC’s Specialist Register to take up a substantive (permanent), fixed-term, or honorary NHS consultant post.

If you haven't completed training in the UK or don't have a relevant European qualification (see below), you should apply for a Portfolio Pathway to obtain specialist registration. 

You need to make your Portfolio Pathway application to the GMC.  The GMC has a dedicated online application process for  Portfolio Pathways. To make a Portfolio Pathway application you will need to open a GMC Online account and upload all your evidence electronically as requested in the online application. Anything recorded in Kaizen or in any other ePortfolio won't be transferred into a Portfolio Pathway application.

The GMC will send your completed application to us for specialist evaluation. We make a recommendation to the GMC as to whether or not the application should be approved, but the GMC makes the final decision.

We are happy to assist with queries by email about our specialty-specific guidance.  Please send us a copy of your CV when you email. Please think about structuring your CV in accordance with the GMC's Portfolio Pathway CV advice, and see this article about preparing a medical CV. Your questions may be answered in our advice and documents on this page, so please do have a look at these first.

Queries about the application form, fee, or general application process should be directed by email to the GMC. 

The application form, fees, guidance, and criteria are subject to change; please refer to the General Medical Council's (GMC) website for current information. 

This is the most appropriate route for most applicants and most people apply for a Portfolio Pathway in clinical oncology.  However, clinical oncology training and practice in the UK may differ significantly from training and practice elsewhere, so please read the curriculum and specialty specific guidance carefully to make sure you can meet the standards.

In the UK, clinical oncology trainees complete about five years of specialty training according to the current training curriculum, having obtained the MRCP(UK) to enter training. When they successfully complete training they are awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in the specialty of clinical oncology. The CCT allows them entry to the GMC specialist register. 

To be awarded this Portfolio Pathway, you need to submit a range of evidence to demonstrate that your specialty training, qualifications and experience taken together are equivalent to the CCT in clinical oncology, the requirements for which are set out in our specialty training curriculum. Portfolio Pathway allows you entry to the GMC specialist register.

To be eligible to apply under this route, you must have either a specialist qualification in the specialty you apply in or at least six months of continuous specialist training in the specialty you apply in.  

Please review the following documents:

1. The Specialty Specific Guidance published by the GMC to help you make your application. When getting your evidence together, you can use it as a checklist to make sure you include all the documents we need. 

2. Our FAQs for Portfolio Pathway Applicants which sets out things to note when making your Portfolio Pathway application. 

This route is designed for those who are nationally renowned leaders and are known internationally in their field through their academic or research activity.

Applicants must show that the knowledge and skills they have gained through academic or research work are consistent with practice as a consultant in any of the UK health services.  Successful applications tend to be submitted in very specific areas. This is because it would be difficult to demonstrate academic or research work to the required standard in a broad area such as a CCT specialty. 

This application needs to show two things – that your academic or research work has given you knowledge and skills to the standard of an NHS consultant and that your clinical knowledge, skills and experience of the specialty you have applied in are equivalent to the standards of an NHS consultant.

The range of evidence requested here is different from the other Portfolio Pathway pathways, as you can see in the GMC academic Portfolio Pathway guidance. You will have to provide evidence of your academic or research activities, as well as evidence of your clinical skills in the area in which you apply - the clinical elements are likely to cover the relevant specialty areas of the CCT curriculum. You must check with the GMC as to your eligibility and whether the specialty you intend to apply in is acceptable under this route.  

Please see the GMC's information for doctors about Brexit 

If you have an EEA or Swiss primary and/or specialist medical qualification classed as a "relevant European qualification", you may be able to apply for GMC full and/or specialist registration using those qualifications.  It is the qualification you hold and not your nationality that determines whether you can use these qualifications to obtain registration.

See apply for full with specialist registration with a relevant European qualification 

Your application is made directly to the GMC using their dedicated online application process. Please see the GMC website for further information on how to apply.

You compile your Portfolio Pathway application in liaison with the GMC. Once the application is deemed complete by the GMC, it is passed to the College for assessment. Applications are evaluated by the RCR Equivalence Committee and a recommendation is then made to the GMC. 

To be eligible to apply you must have either a specialist qualification in the specialty you apply in or at least six months of continuous specialist training in the specialty you apply in.

Information can be found in both the Specialty Specific Guidance and generic guidance available on the GMC website. You should read this guidance carefully because it defines the type of evidence you should provide to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and experience (KSE) for specialist practice in the UK. 

No. As the RCR officially reviews the applications, we only review them at the point they are submitted to us by the GMC. The RCR can provide advice on the type of evidence required but will not review your application before submission. You are encouraged to read the Specialty Specific Guidance carefully before submitting your application to the GMC. 

It is recommended that you collect and keep evidence as you go along. You will need to open a GMC Online account and upload all your evidence electronically, as requested in the online application. 

The RCR Equivalence Committee reviews applications on behalf of the GMC. Members of the Committee will determine whether you have the knowledge, skills and experience needed for practising as a day one consultant in the UK. If your application is successful, you will be recommended for entry to the Specialist Register.

Before sending the complete application to the RCR for evaluation, the GMC first needs to ensure that all the application documentation has been received, including the structured reports from referees, and complete the verification process. This part of the process can be lengthy, as the GMC may need to ask for further information.

When the application is passed to the RCR we have 36 working days to review and submit our evaluation to the GMC.

The GMC will then need time to reach their final decision, so in total you should expect it to take 2-3 months before you are informed of the outcome of the evaluation. 

You will receive a report directly from the GMC that will explain why your application has not been successful. This will contain recommendations outlining the additional evidence required.

You should read the Specialty Specific Guidance carefully as this defines the type of evidence that you should provide to demonstrate you have the knowledge, skills and experience required to practise as a specialist or GP in the UK. You should also review the relevant curriculum.