BOSTON — Clasp, a Boston-based company focused on healthcare workforce recruitment, has launched a new job marketplace that allows healthcare students and early-career clinicians to compare employment opportunities based on how much employers will contribute toward their student loan debt.
The Clasp Marketplace requires every participating employer to commit money toward a candidate’s student loans before posting a job. The platform allows prospective employees to compare salaries, locations and loan repayment benefits across healthcare organizations.
According to the company, healthcare employers have committed more than $200 million toward student loan repayment through its Loan-Linked Hiring program. Individual offers average more than $68,000 in repayment assistance, with some reaching $180,000.
Under the program, employers make monthly payments directly to employees’ federal or private student loan servicers as long as the clinicians remain employed. If an employee leaves, future payments stop, but previously paid amounts do not have to be repaid.
The platform also includes a loan repayment calculator that allows students to estimate how different employer contributions could affect their debt repayment timelines. Students can join the marketplace as early as their first semester, and the service is free for job seekers.
“Healthcare is facing a massive talent shortage at the same time that the cost of becoming a clinician is keeping too many people from entering and completing these programs,” said Tess Michaels, founder and CEO of Clasp.
“Leading healthcare employers understand that solving the workforce shortage starts before graduation. They’re stepping up to help students afford the cost of their training, bring more people into these high-need fields, and build the workforce they’ll need for years to come,” Michaels added.
Clasp’s Loan-Linked Hiring model is designed to improve employee retention by connecting student loan repayment assistance to continued employment, typically over periods of three years or longer.
The company said nearly half of clinicians leave their first jobs within two years, contributing to an estimated $68 billion in annual healthcare workforce turnover costs.
In a survey of 1,000 healthcare students conducted by Clasp, respondents were asked to identify the two most important factors when choosing their first job. Nearly three times as many selected student loan repayment assistance compared with those who chose a signing bonus.
Clasp also reported that its hiring model achieves retention rates more than 2.5 times higher than traditional recruitment approaches.
The marketplace is intended to help healthcare employers recruit students 12 to 24 months before graduation, allowing organizations to establish relationships with prospective employees before they enter the workforce.
Clasp currently connects healthcare students and early-career clinicians across 48 states, including those pursuing careers in nursing, nurse anesthesia, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, medical imaging, optometry and veterinary medicine.
The company said thousands of students from educational institutions and clinical training programs are using its platform. Available job opportunities have increased more than 207% in 2026.
Participating healthcare employers include Northwestern Medicine, Novant Health, OhioHealth, Rochester Regional Health, UMass Memorial Health, Wellstar Health System, BAYADA, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, Confluent Health and VCA Animal Hospitals, among others.
The company said the marketplace is designed to help healthcare organizations address persistent staffing shortages while making clinical careers more financially accessible to students facing substantial education debt.
