The latest blog posts, research articles, and news from Clasp

News, perspectives, and field notes from the Clasp team on fixing healthcare's broken talent pipeline.

Inside Optometry at Vision Innovation Partners: "It Is Never a Dull Day"

Dr. David Holland of Maryland Vision Institute on full-scope medical optometry, a vision-saving case, and building an eye care career at VIP.

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What Healthcare Workforce Leaders Told Us in Chicago

Healthcare leaders at the Chicago workforce summit shared the numbers behind the hiring crunch, and what's working to keep clinicians.

A paper-cut collage of a person standing at a fork between two paths: one leads to a stack of student loan statements with a payment slip landing on it, the other to a document tray under a magnifying glass.

What Employer Student Loan Contributions Mean for Your Loans and Taxes

How employer student loan contributions work, what they mean for your loan balance, and how they're generally treated for federal taxes.

A paper clinician walking a rising pink paper staircase, leaving a flat paper check on a round pink disc behind

The Evolution of Healthcare Compensation: From Sign-On Bonuses to Student Loan Repayment and on to Financial Wellness

Sign-on bonuses win the signature. Loan repayment and integrated financial wellness help clinicians stay. How healthcare compensation is evolving.

A paper nurse holding a notebook at the foot of a winding orange paper path that climbs toward a larger nurse silhouette

New Grad, First Job, Big Feelings: Advice From Someone Who’s Been There

Practical advice for new grad nurses starting a first job: beating imposter syndrome, learning your unit, and what to expect in year one.

A small paper office building resting on one folded segment of a long pink paper strip that continues past both edges of the frame

Companies That Pay Down Student Loans: Who's Doing It and How to Get Hired

Almost no employer pays off your whole balance. Most contribute up to $5,250 a year tax-free under Section 127, permanent since July 2025. Here's who offers it, why these jobs are hard to find, and what to ask a recruiter before you sign.

Paper figures in scrubs filing toward three cut-paper doorways of different shapes, each one narrowed by a different structural constraint

Solutions to the Nursing Shortage: What's Working and What Isn't

The nursing shortage is really three constraints — education capacity, retention, and distribution — and most interventions fail because they are aimed at the wrong one. What the AACN, NSI and Kaufman Hall numbers say about which fixes actually move which problem.