Certificate of Eligibility to the Specialist Registrar (CESR)

It needs to be appreciated that not all doctors want to work as a consultant, and many have chosen to be SAS doctors for various personal and family circumstances. This is not a reflection on their capabilities, and some are even more competent and experienced than new consultants.

For those who didn’t go into a formal training programme in the UK, Certificate of Eligibility for Specialty Registration (CESR), also known as ‘Article 14’ provides an alternative to CCT or CCSST for entry on the specialist register. Doctors aspiring for substantive consultant posts in the UK must be on the specialist register. Quite a few doctors have been successful in achieving CESR, and some have taken up consultant posts.

CESR was previously awarded by PMETB; this merged with GMC on 1^st April 2010. All current applications for CESR are now processed by the GMC, and you can apply online. We have provided links for more information.