Every Friday afternoon, Pulse--voices from heart of medicine (pulsevoices.org) emails its thousands of subscribers worldwide a compelling first-person story or poem about giving or receiving health care. In this third anthology, Pulse's editors have compiled the very best Pulse stories and poems from the years 2011-2013. In language that is intimate, authentic and engaging, these pieces capture the personal experiences of patients, health professionals, trainees and caregivers as they navigate the world of illness and health. "I not only read Pulse," Donald Berwick MD has said, "I adore it." Paul Gross is founding editor of Pulse--voices from the heart of medicine. A family physician in the Bronx, he is on the faculty at Montefiore's Residency Program in Social Medicine and at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He writes about the personal side of medicine, teaches reflective writing to residents and medical students, and conducts award-winning writing workshops for health professionals, students and patients. Diane Guernsey is founding executive editor of Pulse -voices from the heart of medicine. Trained as a classical pianist, she enjoyed a long career in publishing as a senior editor at Town & Country Magazine. She is now on the music faculty of Manhattanville College, where she teaches piano and coaches singers. She is also a licensed psychoanalyst.