What's Your Best Nursing Ghost Story?

Nursing is a profession that often involves long lonely night shifts in eerie hospital wards. It's a perfect breeding ground for ghost stories. These stories often involve sightings of apparitions, strange noises, and unexplained events that are said to have taken place in hospitals, hospices, and other healthcare settings. Some of these stories are believed to be based on true events, while others are purely fictional. Regardless, they continue to captivate and intrigue both nurses and non-nurses alike - providing a spooky glimpse into the world of healthcare after dark.

I know you have seen and heard freaky things. Share your nursing ghost stories...

[dld, ASN, RN]

I must say, I never believed any of this paranormal stuff until I had been a nurse for many years. I always thought of myself as rational, logical and scientific, not someone who believes in ghosts! Now my curiosity's intense, and I seek to learn of others experiences, even though I still think overactive imaginations can get the best of us.

When I first started working at my current hospital we took turns floating to a LTC unit. There was one room at the end of the hall. When ever I was in there taking care of my patients, I would see a shadow pass the doorway. This would happen frequently, but never when I would look directly at the doorway. Now because the room was the last room on the hall, there would be no purpose for anyone to walk past the room, it is a dead end. I told myself, I must be tired or imagining things, since I didn't believe in ghosts. Well over the years, this continued to happen, only when I was in that room. Finally in frustration, when I noticed the shadow, I came running out of the room, calling out, " hay, whose's there," several times. I ran into the neighboring room, to find no one. I got chills realizing what had happened. I was frustrated, because I knew I wasn't crazy. I finished my work and moved on. Several months later I told my coworker of my experience. He said many nurses have that experience in that room. O.K., so maybe there is something to this.

Now this LTC unit has many claims of being haunted, but nothing bad has ever happened to anyone, so I laugh when people get so spooked. One night several months later we had an incident where we could not get the fire alarm off. The alarm went on for a couple of hours and the patients were freaking out. I was in charge that night. The fire dept. had to get the engineer out of bed to turn it off but he could not even turn it off. Well after an 1.5 hrs of this, I looked at the alarm which indicated that the alarm was set off in the haunted LTC unit. I called the unit to see what was going on. The response was "...what alarm? There is no alarm going off here." I couldn't believe it and proceeded to call other units. They confirmed they had a frustrating alarm waking all the patients. About 30 minutes later the alarm stopped. On Monday morning the LTC manager was on my unit and said, "Oh, I hear you had an exciting weekend." I told him how awful it was, and questioned what had happened. He said that he was called at 4am to turn it off since the engineer could not do it. He told them he wasn't going to come in because he did not know how to do that. I told him it is strange how it was not alarming on his unit but everywhere else. And I asked, "Are you sure you don't have a ghost?" He said, " Oh! Don't say that! I had a priest come in a bless the place and do an exorcism. The nurses are all ready sacred. Don't even mention that." I just smiled.

After this experience I opened my mind to the possibility of paranormal activity. I have heard stories from very rational people who I would never suspect believed in ghosts. Many other things have happened since on our own unit but not so dramatic, but definately more than coincidence or electrical malfunction. I am curious and like learn more about these experiences. What really scares me at night is the possibility of a demented homeless person lurking about. You never know what they are going to do!

[ERRN92]

I went to check on my elderly male pt (who was dying). he kept staring at the ceiling. He said "three of us have to go".(he often talked incoherently. hardly ever made sense).I said "go where?" he pointed up and said "up there. three of us are going." Then he asked if I was going with them. I told him I didnt plan on it. He stared at the ceiling and just kept repeating himself all night. he died the next night. The night after that 2 more patients on the floor passed away. Since ive been nursing, I have come to accept the fact that there is alot we dont know about spirits and death.

[jessica]

Bump.

[awk5]

When I first started to work at a ltc, I worked the noc shift. Every once in a while, a resident would ask "who is that tall chinese man over there" or make some remark about the chinese man.

Well when I finally mentioned it to the day shift they told me that about a month before I started working there, a very tall, chinese, male resident had passed away.

I never saw him but would get the chills when ever some one would mention him>

[awk5]

I went to check on my elderly male pt (who was dying). he kept staring at the ceiling. He said "three of us have to go".(he often talked incoherently. hardly ever made sense).I said "go where?" he pointed up and said "up there. three of us are going." Then he asked if I was going with them. I told him I didnt plan on it. He stared at the ceiling and just kept repeating himself all night. he died the next night. The night after that 2 more patients on the floor passed away. Since ive been nursing, I have come to accept the fact that there is alot we dont know about spirits and death.

At the ltc that I worked at I noticed that the deaths usually came in sets of three.

[supernurse65]

bump.

[Dempather, RN]

I heard this story for a colleague who was working on our floor's four-bedded step-down unit one night. I had been told in the past that people who are about to die can talk to or hear others who have already passed away. This could be hallucinations... but nonethless, this story was just creepy.

It was sometime in the middle of the night, so the lights were either off or dimmed to allow the patients to rest. My colleague had a patient who was actively dying and kept grabbing something in the air that wasn't there.

When she went over to ask if everything was alright, he turned to her and said, "Well... aren't you going to talk to him?".

And my colleague kinda grinned and replied, "Well.. who would that be?".

And the patient responded, "The man standing next to you...".

My colleague was too afraid to even turn around. Of course, she knew nobody was there. WHEW. That gives me goosebumps.

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

Have you read the thread, Selling Out Grandma yet? If not, it's extremely interesting, and a good suggestion. Since most nursing homes are in the conditions are now degenerating in them, I wouldn't be surprised if more of the nursing homes become haunted. My hope is that God will soon intervene and send a special angel the owner's way to straighten hin/her up.

[SDS_RN, RN]

This thread is great. I've always believed in ghosts and it's good to know I'm not alone.

Not many nursing stories but a few family ones.

Back in 98' my grandpa died of a massive heart attack at age 59. I was at work when I found out and rushed straight to the hospital but they were unable to save him. After his funeral I was having a hard time dealing with his sudden death. I was driving home from work about a 6min drive and I was crying and asking him to give me a sign that he was okay and I looked up into the sky and their were two falling stars one falling on each side of my car. After that I was at peace and I was thankful that he gave me the sign that he was with God.

A few years after my grandpa passed away we found out my grandma had breast cancer and only had 6mo-1year to live. She did the chemo and radiation and felt miserable but no matter what she would not let you see that. She loved being with and taking care of her kids, grandkids, & great grandkids and she would never let you do much for her. She was just a great woman. I spent a lot of my childhood and my life I guess with her because i grew up right next door to her. She was like a mother to me. Her birthday was Dec. 22nd and mine is Dec. 23rd so we always celebrated our birthdays together. In Dec of 2001 we celebrated our birthdays together on Dec 22nd because I was leaving on the 23rd to go back home about 1.5hrs away. The night before I left I stayed at my dad's house and had a great dream about my grandma. I was so happy about it that I told my dad and spouse that I had a dream that grandmas cancer was all gone. That gave me some peace and I went back home. The next noc on Christmas Eve I got a phone call from my dad saying that my grandma had passed away. I was devastated but everytime I think about that dream I feel at peace because I know that her cancer is now gone and she is in heaven with God and my grandpa. I also think that she held on long enough for us to celebrate our birthdays together one last time before leaving. The next year my cousin and his girlfriend found out that they were going to be having a baby and their due date was Dec 22nd my grandma's birthday but Kaitlynn did not come until Christmas Eve. It's both a sad and joyous for our family. I believe that my Grandma wanted us to have something happy to celebrate on the day that she passed away.

Sometimes I find myself missing her so much it hurts but I still continue to talk to her she never talks back but sometimes I feel her presence in my dreams and I think that's her way of comforting me. It's been 10 yrs since my grndpa passed and 6 yrs since grndma passing and I am still sitting here crying as I'm writting this. They were both very special people and I miss them dearly.

[SDS_RN, RN]

Sorry that was sooo long.

[SDS_RN, RN]

bump.....

[RedWeasel, RN]

Ok I should be going to bed--and I am, but I was sorting through a box in the kitchen when the two overhead lights went off. The porch light and driveway light stayed on--used same switch plate. I just froze. I thought A) their is a critter in the walls chewing on something (OMG) or B) my dad is saying hello---no I don't usually believe that---in the past I have had things happen which I feel were 'signs' telling me things, but this was WEIRD. I flicked the switch off then back on and the light just came on again. I sat and thought about it. Stood froze more like it. I thought wouldn't that be nice? Him saying hello? See, I am staying with my mom for a while and working eves I always stayed up late and left most lights on downstairs, well in the past he would go the the BR and then I would hear him shuffle over to the kitchen lights and shut them off....he was notorious for that-- (that and c/o no one putting tpaste caps back on-oh the day they invented flip tops!). So a few minutes ago it dawned on me---maybe if it is possible he was saying quit cleaning, turn off the lights and go to bed.....wouldn't that be nice? Not a nursing story--no but since he died last month, and TODAY is his birthday it is a nice thought to think he is still looking out for us....who knows? Won't hurt to think that....right?

okay this is even weirder....I now know that at that time my niece was on the way into the world--born 12 hours later....still on my dad's birthday....(my nephew had been born a month before this--12 hours before my dads funeral) He was just winking at me I think like 'I usually got the gifts on this day but I am sending you the best one ever...'--and my neices dad (my brother) had been born on my Grandmothers (my dads moms) birthday....of all days for my niece and nephew to enter the world....all natural too, no inducing! sweet~!