“I’m struck by the power of the writing in Pulse. It is polished, and the voices are absolutely authentic.” Maggie Mahar, author of Money-Driven Medicine

“These beautiful stories and poems exemplify what Pulse is about—short, simple, powerful, revelatory, straight from the heart of the medical experience.” Stuart Green DMH, Behavorial Sciences Director, Overlook Hospital, Summit, New Jersey

Every Friday, Pulse–voices from the heart of medicine (pulsemagazine.org) delivers to its online readers one compelling first-person story or poem about health care. Intimate and powerful, these writings by patients and doctors, caregivers and nurses, mental health professionals and students capture real-life health care in a way that is honest, pointed and unique—opening a window into medicine at a time when millions are calling for change in the way that health care is conducted.

Now collected together in a book – edited by Paul Gross, MD, and Diane Guernsey, and published by cChange in Health Care Publishing – is every issue of Pulse’s first year, including:

• First Night Call: a terrified intern tries to comfort the parents of a dying teen

• Chemo? No Thanks: a breast cancer patient takes on her own chemo-phobia

• Mothers and Meaning: a family doctor pulls out the stops for his ailing mom

• Little black boy: an African-American medical student reflects upon his journey

• Chris: a surviving sibling recalls the sting of meeting her sister’s doctors

• Redesigning the practice of medicine: a nurse rediscovers her calling

• Halloween Horrors: a doctor tries to use his own prescription drug plan

Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine–The First Year (ISBN 9780984291007, Pbk, 160 pages) published January, 2010 and available via good bookstores at a list price of $19.99. Proceeds from sales of the book will be used to support the further development of the Pulse and cChange in Health Care online communities.