Bergen New Bridge Medical Center has partnered with Clasp, a recruitment platform for health care providers to innovate its recruitment and retention efforts through a new type of student-loan repayment program.
Clasp’s recruitment platform tries to address talent shortfalls by helping employers recruit and retain talent in hard-to-hire fields, with a focus on reducing student debt and fostering long-term commitments between employers and employees.
Through the program, Bergen New Bridge is offering qualified and selected nursing students up to $25,000 in student loan repayment over their first three years of employment. Nursing students apply while in school, and if accepted, complete their studies knowing they have both a career and a plan for their loans waiting for them after graduation.
“This innovative approach allows us to expand our candidate pool while developing health-care professionals as we continue to provide high-quality care for our patients and change the trajectory for students entering the workforce,” said Deborah Visconi, president and CEO, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. “This partnership forges a new industry standard benefiting healthcare facilities and employees while addressing long term workforce challenges.”
Christine Sochulak, the first nurse hired through Bergen New Bridge’s new loan repayment program, said it has been such a relief. “Having a clear plan for my nursing student loans allows me to focus fully on patient care and building my future here,” she said. “Knowing the hospital is invested in both my growth and my financial well‑being has made my transition into nursing so much smoother — I’d encourage any nursing student to look for opportunities like this.”
To qualify for the program, applicants must graduate in 2025, 2026, or 2027; be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; attend a Title IV-accredited four-year college or university; be within 24 months of graduation; maintain a minimum GPA of 2.9; and be employed full time by Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, a clinical affiliate of Rutgers, is a 1,070-bed hospital at 230 East Ridgewood Ave. in Paramus. The medical center is both the largest hospital and licensed nursing home in New Jersey and the fourth-largest, publicly owned hospital in the U.S.
“Bergen New Bridge is redefining what it means for a safety net hospital to invest in its workforce,” said Tess Michaels, founder and CEO of Clasp. “At a time when federal loan cuts are leaving students with fewer options and more debt, this hospital became the first in New Jersey to launch a program like this — and saw overwhelming demand, with three times more applicants than available seats in just four months, spanning seven states. That response prompted Bergen New Bridge to expand seats, proving how powerfully this approach can stretch every dollar to recruit and retain great clinicians.”
