Pulse--voices from the heart of medicine
banner
pulsevoices.org
Pulse--voices from the heart of medicine
@pulsevoices.org
Telling the personal story of health care.
https://pulsevoices.org
"After the Fall: What Happened Next" by Roberta Peets.
An honest portrayal of being scared and feeling left in the dark in the emergency room.
pulsevoices.org/stories/afte...

#puksevoices #ER #hospital #patient #narrativemedicine #medsky #medicalhumanities #experience #healthcare #medicine #scared
November 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM
In honor of our November #MoreVoices theme on Chronic Pain, we're highlighting the story "A Cruel Companion" by Ronna Edelstein. Her piece touches on how difficulties in life can be exacerbated by chronic pain. ❤️🏥
pulsevoices.org/pulse-more-v...

#stories #narrativemedicine #hospital #pulsevoices
November 9, 2025 at 1:05 AM
"The Voiceless" by Ritamarie Moscola. pulsevoices.org/visuals/the-...

About the Artwork: “This is one of a series of collage portraits created in response to my experience of sitting with residents in nursing facilities.”

#healing #art #narrativemedicine #nursing #hospital #patient #pulsevoices
November 4, 2025 at 3:15 PM
“Pumpkin Brains” by Jessica Faraci. 🎃 pulsevoices.org/visuals/pump.... Subscribe to Pulse for more stories, artwork, and poems straight to your inbox every week! ✍️

#stories #halloween #spooky #healing #writers #narrativemedicine #physician #science #inspiration #medicalstudent #pulsevoices
October 31, 2025 at 6:29 PM
"Breath of Life" by Anjali Degala

About the artwork: "This artwork portrays lungs intertwined with blooming flowers, symbolizing resilience, growth, and renewal."
pulsevoices.org/visuals/brea...

#art #anatomy #medicalhumanities #medsky #healthcare #pulsevoices #empower #growth
October 27, 2025 at 8:23 PM
NINE DAYS TO SUBMIT HAIKU!

We are accepting 2025 #haiku submissions until October 31st. The next opportunity would be October 2026. Please see here for complete instructions on how to submit haiku: pulsevoices.org/submit/

#poetry #writing #poem #october #writers #medicalhumanities #Pulsevoices
October 22, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Below is an excerpt from "Harvest" by Allison C. Harrison.
It's a powerful and gripping piece on patient autonomy, especially when it is disregarded at a young age. Read the full #poem: pulsevoices.org/poems/harvest/

#autonomy #medsky #patient #medicine #stemcell #writing #poetry #pulsevoices
October 21, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Liminal Symphony: Where Hearts Whisper in Stillness" by Jonatan Amaya.

pulsevoices.org/visuals/limi...

“In the quiet embrace of a hug, two souls unite, crafting a connection that transcends words.”
October 19, 2025 at 1:37 AM
A chilling excerpt from "Alive" by Jan Haag, a poem in which she recounts her husband's aortic valve replacement surgery.
pulsevoices.org/poems/alive/

#surgery #postsurgery #medicine #healthcare #narrativemedicine #medicalhumanities #poem #poetry #writing #writers #pulsevoices #medsky #hospital
October 14, 2025 at 2:18 PM
We are happy to announce that Pulse is now accepting haiku submissions! The deadline to submit is October 31st.

View our submission guidelines on our website at: pulsevoices.org/submit/

Interested in submitting a haiku? Use our submission form at: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
October 11, 2025 at 11:37 PM
"Psammoma Bodies with Whorls" by Eva Catenaccio

"What is ‘interesting’ academically can cause us to overlook the patient’s experience of illness. While I can see a certain beauty in the tumor cells swirling on the slide, the patient may view the same slide very differently."
October 6, 2025 at 9:19 PM
With September concluding, we are sharing one of this month's More Voices stories on the #examroom. "Humor 101" by Patti Cassidy brings in the perspective of standardized patients and insight into the importance of humor in the patient-provider bond.
pulsevoices.org/pulse-more-v...
September 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Saleh Jad shares his story, “Dialyzing in a War Zone,” in the most recent issue of Pulse. His piece touches on work in healthcare in Palestine and the struggle to communicate with patients about their experiences effectively…
pulsevoices.org/stories/dial...
September 28, 2025 at 7:03 PM
"Three Needles" by Jane Desmond.

"This poem details the procedure of providing a ‘good death’ from the perspective of the human caring for her non-human companion."
Read the full poem: pulsevoices.org/poems/three-...

#pet #vet #animal #rabbit #PulseVoices #medicalhumanities #death #dying #poem
September 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
'Children's Memorial' by Susan Cunningham

“This is a watercolor painting of the Edgartown Lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard. Every September there is a memorial service for lost children, and our son has a memorial stone at the base of the lighthouse."

pulsevoices.org/visuals/chil...
#art #healing
September 22, 2025 at 8:33 PM
In "Thank You, Betty", Patty I. Sánchez Montejo must deliver the dreaded news of recurrence. Read here: pulsevoices.org/stories/than...
September 15, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"hospice window" by Kala Ramesh.
pulsevoices.org/haiku/hospic...

To read more of our published haiku, visit our website at: pulsevoices.org/haiku/

#haiku #poem #Medsky #medicine #medicalhumanities #healthcare #hospice #patient
September 14, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Pulse will be accepting poetry submissions this month from September 1st to September 30th!

Use the submission form to submit your poetry: pulsevoices.org/poem-submiss...

Additionally, please visit our website for submission guidelines: pulsevoices.org/submit/

#poem #poetry #writing #pulsevoices
September 9, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Through caring for one patient, Dua Hassan’s "Choosing to Believe" is a story of reexamining faith as a choice in adulthood when faced with the unexplainable.
pulsevoices.org/stories/choo...

#medicalhumanities #narrativemedicine #medicine #hope #healthcare #care #religion #faith #Pulsevoices
September 7, 2025 at 4:58 PM
"The Lingering Gaze" by Simran Anand

About the Art: "This piece captures what stays with you long after the operating room—the stares, the silence, the shame imposed by others...This piece is about visibility, vulnerability, and finding strength not in spite of being different but because of it."
September 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM
“What Remains” by Grace Lin and Amanda Tam reflects on the endurance of friendship in the face of time and a terminal illness diagnosis.

Read here: pulsevoices.org/stories/what...

#ALS #friendship #narrativemedicine #medicalhumanities #medicine #diagnosis #terminalillness #sisterhood #writing
August 31, 2025 at 11:25 PM
"The Healer" by Lori-Anne Noyahr
pulsevoices.org/poems/the-he...

About the Poem: "This is a poem about motherhood in medicine, the balance between caring for others and one's personal relationships, and the tension between the sterile setting of the hospital and the natural world."
August 27, 2025 at 9:11 PM
“Growing a Spine” by Sabina Mehdi

About the artwork: “Where would the soft curve of the spine be without the protruding spinous and transverse processes of its vertebrae?”

#photography #anatomy #MedSky #medicalhumanities #pulsevoices #medicine #art #health #visual #photo #nature #plants
August 21, 2025 at 1:45 PM