Most of the time, the people who help others most receive the least amount of help themselves.

Unfortunately, the same can be said for how the state of Maine treats its social workers.

I am a student at the University of Maine who will graduate in May with my masters in social work. Without loans, earning my degree would have been unobtainable, but I fear that repaying those loans on a social worker’s salary will be nearly impossible.

This is why I’m advocating for the passage of LD 632: An Act to Amend the Social Work Education Loan Repayment Program.

Though I understand that both bachelor’s- and doctorate-level social workers experience similar challenges, here, I speak directly to the challenges faced by master’s-level social workers.

Maine needs far more social workers than we currently have. The federal government has already warned the state of Maine about this challenge in regard to the condition of our children’s behavioral health system. A survey in December 2022 showed 679 children on a waitlist to receive treatment services, with an average wait time of about seven months.

With shocking numbers like this, the state should want to reward social workers for their services, not penalize them with astronomical loans and humiliate them with low salaries.

At the University of Maine, to simply earn an MSW it costs $52,000 for in-state tuition. Overall, MSWs graduate with an average of $74,557 in debt. Considering new MSWs earn around $50,000 annually, it’s no wonder social workers are suffering from burnout, barely scraping by. There are few scholarships available. Loans are essentially the only option.

At least there are assistantships, right? Wrong. For the few graduate assistantships available, the time restrictions make it almost impossible. Most require a commitment of 20 hours per week that must be completed during standard business hours. Being a full-time MSW student demands two days of classes and 16-20 hours per week at field placements, leaving one day available — at the most — for an assistantship.

Field placements themselves are vital to the success of a social worker, but between the possible costs of travel and the rurality of Maine, it can add another financial burden. Placements can be up to 60 miles away from home.

Depending on career goals and availability in the region, students may not have much choice in where they’re placed; some commute two hours round trip twice a week, and while I wouldn’t expect to be compensated for the cost of that commute, it is another huge time commitment on top of school, jobs and family.

Some placements require travel, and students are not reimbursed for gas or mileage. I travel independently in my car at my own placement, and I travel up to 200 miles on those days. The costs associated with most field placements combined with tuition rates further emphasize the need to pass LD 632.

The mandatory fees don’t end with graduation; the licensing and exams cost $722. New social workers must complete 96 hours of consultation with a licensed clinician. This supervision isn’t always paid for by the agency, so it’s up to the social worker to hire an LCSW independently at about $100 an hour, meaning an additional $9,600.

I will graduate with $32,000 of debt, and I’m lucky. If you’re keeping score, on top of my graduate loans, it will cost an additional $10,322 to earn my license, totaling $41,600 for me to simply become a social worker.

The cost of a degree and license compared to the amount Maine graduates must repay in loans is demoralizing. Many social workers cannot stay in the field their entire careers because they make too little for an education that costs so much, leaving the remaining professionals struggling to catch up.

Maine is largely rural and is in desperate need for social workers. LD 632 would incentivize new MSW graduates to stay in Maine by assisting in loan repayment and help assure that underserved people in Maine are getting the care they need and deserve.

Social workers should be concerned with helping their clients and advocating for social justice, not repaying their loans.

Sarah Bishop is a master of social work student at the University of Maine at Orono. She will graduate with her MSW in May 2023 and plans to stay in Maine while attaining her clinical licensure.