Call for Entries
Pulse Writing Contest
"On Being Different"
About
Pulse–voices from the heart of medicine is pleased to announce a writing contest open to health and mental health professionals, to patients and caregivers, and to students in the health and mental health professions.
The purpose of this contest is to heighten awareness and deepen understanding of differences among us as we learn from one another, work together on a team or receive care from one another. Our goal is to foster more sensitive and compassionate communication, teaching, teamwork and care.
Entries are due by March 31, 2023. The first place winner will be awarded $1,000. Runner-up awards totaling $2,000 will be distributed to other noteworthy submissions.
Theme
The contest theme is: On Being Different. We are looking for first-person perspectives on what it’s like to feel different–different from those around you or from those in positions of authority–or to encounter differences that have implications for health and health care, and for differences that affect the healthcare workplace or healthcare education. Here are some possible issues you might address:
- What has being different meant to you?
- What's it like for health professionals who see themselves as different--or who see a patient as different?
- What do patients who experience themselves as different encounter when they engage the healthcare system?
- How do members of a healthcare team experience differences (including differences of rank and role), when they work together?
- How do learners who see themselves as different navigate their journey to becoming health professionals?
We invite you to write about your experience of being different–how it affects you, your learning, the work you do or the care you receive.
Submissions
Submissions may be up to 1200 words in length. They must be true accounts that reflect your own personal experience or observed experience. They must be original pieces that have not been previously published. No fiction, please, and no poetry.
Pulse editors will review all submissions and award a total of $3,000 in prize money, including a $1,000 first prize, to the pieces judged to have most effectively captured the experience of being different. Some winning essays will be published in Pulse—voices from the heart of medicine.
To enter, please use the Writing Contest Submission Form.