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Pulse voices from the heart of medicine

About

Launched in 2008, Pulse was created by members of the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with colleagues and friends around the country.

At a time when the pioneering work of Rita Charon has established the value of narrative medicine–an approach that places a premium on personal perspectives within a healthcare encounter–Pulse makes narrative medicine available to all and accessible to anyone.

Pulse tells the story of health care through the personal experiences of those who live it–patients, health professionals, students and caregivers. While medical care is often rightly criticized for being cold and oblivious, Pulse highlights the humanity and vulnerability of all its actors. In doing so it promotes the humanistic practice of medicine and encourages advocacy for compassionate health care for all.

Since its launch, Pulse has drawn the attention of the national media and policymakers. Widely used by medical educators to promote humanism and professionalism, Pulse enjoys a broad readership drawn to its diverse voices, compelling writing and authenticity.

Pulse welcomes submissions by anyone who has a healthcare story to tell.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2008

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
Published 52 x per year

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Slower
Pulse's overall average response time is slower than most magazines.
More Approachable
Pulse's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
Less Responsive
Pulse's overall rate of non-response is higher than most magazines.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: 40 - 400 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 1,200 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: General, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 30 September 2026* (approx. 13 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 2 pieces.
Poem: Exactly 3 lines; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Haiku (or related).

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: General, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

We prefer images that arise from--or were somehow impacted by--your own healthcare experiences or those of your patients or loved ones.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Unknown number of pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: General, See guidelines.
Other: May vary.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are NOT allowed.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Pulse Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 18 reports from 14 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
30 min | 92.6 mean avg | 75.0 median | 339 max days (77.4 std dev)
Responses
88.89 %
Acceptances:
33.33 % of submissions accepted (97.2 avg. days per acceptance) | 35.71 % of submitters accepted Rejections are often underreported, which skews the statistics in favor of acceptances. Most publishers have a lower acceptance rate than indicated here.
Rejections:
55.56 % (74.4 avg. days per rejection) | 50.0 % personal, 20.0 % form, 30.0 % unspecified
Non-Responses
11.11 %
Lost/Returned:
-
Never Responded:
11.11 % (151.5 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)
Withdrawals
-
Pending
1 response is pending (7 days waiting). This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The editors will try to make a decision within 84 days. (33.3 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 84 days.)
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 31 Aug 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 05 May 2026.
Date compiled: 17 Sep 2026 19:31 UTC (6 hours, 50 minutes ago).
View report of recent responses from this project

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Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 14 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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