Q. Is it possible for me to complete the Marworth/Geisinger fellowship on a training license?
A. No. The fellow must possess a valid Pennsylvania medical license well in advance of commencement of the actual start date of fellowship duties. In addition, the fellow must possess a DEA registration and additionally be eligible for a Suboxone waiver.

Q. Is addiction medicine a primary medical specialty board?
A. No. Addiction medicine is not yet a primary specialty board. However, addiction medicine is a well-respected specialty represented officially by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The American Society of Addiction Medicine does offer a certification by examination, which is a widely respected credential. 

Q. Will the Marworth/Geisinger fellowship qualify me to sit for the addiction psychiatry board examination?
A. No. To sit for the addiction psychiatry board examination, you must be a residency trained psychiatrist, boarded in psychiatry, who has completed an approved addiction psychiatry fellowship.  While the Marworth/Geisinger Addiction Medicine Fellowship is modeled after an addiction psychiatry fellowship, it is not an addiction psychiatry fellowship, though psychiatrists are welcome to apply for the fellowship. Our fellowship is open to physicians from virtually any specialty. 

Q. Will the Geisinger/Marworth Addiction Medicine Fellowship prepare me for the American Society of Addiction Medicine Certification Examination?
A. Yes. The fellowship is intended to provide a tremendously broad exposure to all aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of all aspects of addictive disease. The fellowship is largely clinical. However, ample time is set aside for one-on-one teaching with faculty as well as other didactic exercises. Additionally, there will be a variety of texts and journal articles which will supplement clinical activities throughout the year’s educational experience. 

Q. Will completion of the Marworth Addiction Medicine Fellowship satisfy the ASAM certification prerequisite for the “one-year’s full-time involvement or one-year equivalent in the field of alcoholism or other drug dependencies, in addition to and not concurrent with residency training?”
A. Yes. The fellowship is specifically designed to satisfy this requirement.

Q. Will I still need to accrue fifty hours of CME to be eligible for the ASAM certification exam?
A. Yes. The fellow will need to accrue fifty hours of CME to be eligible to take the ASAM exam. The fellow is allotted CME leave for such activities. ASAM does have excellent courses and maintains a web site regarding CME and the calendar of CME opportunities throughout the year. 

Q. Will the entire year be spent at the Marworth campus in Waverly, PA?
A. No. There is a one-month psychiatry rotation which will be in Danville, Pennsylvania. The fellow’s housing accommodations will be provided in Danville during this rotation.

Q. Will there be education/training/experience with other addictions or problematic behaviors besides chemicals?
A. Yes. Sexual addiction, eating disorders, pathological gambling, compulsive spending, etc. are process addictions and often contribute to comorbidity.