Neuropathology: the Practice Eligibility Route

How training is structured

The Royal College sets out the training for Neuropathology in the blocks below. An internationally trained specialist is assessed on whether their own training and practice record is comparable in structure and content.

Required experiences

Specific experiences the Royal College names for this discipline.

• 1.1 Six (6) blocks of clinical neuroscience, including a mix of adult Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology, and/or pediatric Neurology at the discretion of the program director
• 1.2 Six (6) blocks of clinical rotations approved by the program director (other previous clinical training may be accepted at the discretion of the program director and the credentials committee)
• 2. One (1) year of Anatomical Pathology, including experience in surgical pathology, cytology, and autopsy pathology
• 3.1 A minimum of three (3) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in pediatric Neuropathology
• 3.2 A minimum of two (2) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in forensic (medico-legal) pathology, which may be included in the anatomical pathology autopsy period
• 3.3 A minimum of two (2) blocks or equivalent longitudinal experience in muscle and nerve neuropathology

Flexible or selective components

Where the requirements allow a choice.

• 4. One (1) year of clinical or experimental science elective(s) relevant to neuropathology, as approved by the Neuropathology program director
• 1.1 Clinical neuroscience mix and 1.2 approved clinical rotations are chosen at the program director's discretion; previous clinical training may be accepted

Common questions

What is the Practice Eligibility Route in Neuropathology?

The Practice Eligibility Route (PER) is the Royal College process by which an internationally trained specialist can be assessed for eligibility to sit the certification examination in Neuropathology without repeating a Canadian residency. The Royal College reads your postgraduate training and practice record against the published Specialty Training Requirements for the discipline.

What training does the Royal College expect in Neuropathology?

The Specialty Training Requirements describe pathway 1: Five (5) years of approved residency training. Pathway 2: two (2) years of Neuropathology training (as in Pathway 1 section 3) for those who have fulfilled the Royal College training requirements for Anatomical Pathology or General Pathology. The full block-by-block structure is set out on this page, taken from the Royal College document for this discipline.

Does meeting the training requirements guarantee eligibility?

No. Eligibility is a committee decision made on your individual file, and other factors are considered. This page reproduces the published requirements so you can see how your own training compares before you apply; it is not an eligibility ruling.

Where do I start?

Read the six steps in the PER guide, then have your training mapped against the Specialty Training Requirements before you pay any fees. The free PDF for this specialty carries the steps, the document checklist, and the Neuropathology requirements in one file.

More on the route itself: the full PER guide covers the six steps and the document checklist. Royal College examination dates for every discipline are on the Deadline Radar, and Canadian clinical fellowships in Neuropathology are in the Fellowship Finder.