What's Your Best Nursing Ghost Story?

What Members Are Saying (AI-Generated Summary)

Members are sharing personal experiences and stories related to ghosts, spirits, and paranormal occurrences in healthcare settings. Some members discuss encounters with deceased loved ones or unexplained phenomena, while others share their interest in ghost stories and movies like "Doctor Sleep" and "The Shining." There is a mix of skepticism, curiosity, and belief in the supernatural among the forum participants.

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...

i'm not a nurse, although when i was younger i always wanted to be one. my sister is currently in nursing school and told me about this site/thread a while ago because we both love ghost stories. i've been reading it off and on ever since. yesterday i just got to the end of it.

anyway, i have spina bifida (myelomeningocele) so i've spent a lot of time in hospitals. it was during one of my many hospital stays a few years ago that i had a ghostly experience, (i was just in for a uti, so i wasn't on any medications that would make me hallucinate.) although it's quite tame compared to a lot of the stories i've read here.

it was around 10-11 pm when i was admitted into the room directly across from the nurses station, no roommate. a while later i'd gotten settled into bed (the one nearest the door) and had turned my lights out, ready for sleep. i had just begun to drift off when i opened my eyes, i was facing my open doorway as i don't like to face mirrors or windows while i'm sleeping (i'm a total wuss lol). when i opened my eyes i saw a little old white-haired lady standing in my doorway just staring at me. when i blinked, she was gone. there is no way that she would have been able to move away from the doorway and down the hall (no shadow) without me seeing her as i had literally only blinked and she'd disappeared. i didn't feel the least bit scared, which is strange for me. but i did end up sleeping with my blanket over my head that night. i didn't want to know if that lady came back lol.

i later told my family about this experience and of course they didn't believe me. they thought i was either dreaming or hallucinating.

:redbeathe:heartbeat Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sooo sooo sorry for you loss . . . what an experience. Not a ghost story but a love story.

It's taken me a really long time to post this, I wouldn't believe it myself if it hadn't happened to me, and if my best friend wasn't there to witness it. We've been best friends since middle school, went to nursing school together and now work at the same hospital in Virginia. I'm an ER nurse and she's a floater, on December 11, 2007 she was working in the ER with me to help cover due to holiday vacations.

On the week of Halloween my boyfriend and I decided to take the plunge and move in together, he's a Fire Fighter / EMT. We met in the ER when he was bringing in a patient.

It as a very quiet night in the ER, I was running vitals on a new patient who came in complaining of chest pains when my friend walked in to tell me I had a phone call. She gave me a quick wink when she told me "I'll take over", I already knew who was on the phone. When I picked up the reciever at the nurses station it was the love of my life, Garrett. He started out with his normal, boisterous "Hey Baby!" It's funny how two words can make you smile, then he told me "I'm getting ready to leave" I just thought he was heading to the fire house as I knew he was working that night. Then he said, "I wanted to hear you voice one more time before I left...... I love you...." I laughed and told him I loved him and I would see him soon, then in a really quiet voice he said "yeah, you will." I told him I loved him one more time and we hung up, I went back to my patient and relayed the conversation to my best friend.

Within a few minutes it seemed as if our hospital was surrounded by lights and sirens. Three police cars and two fire trucks flanking one ambulance. Everyone available suited up and gloved up. I went back to my chest pains patient who I think was looking more for a warm bed then meds to help with the pain. I saw the gurney rush in, EMT's were performing CPR, there was total chaos.

After a few minutes when I had my patient settled in and a bed ready for him upstairs I walked out of his room and saw a few of the EMT's Garrett worked with standing with their backs to me looking into the trauma room with the new patient. I called Briggs name walking towards them and when he turned around he had a grave expression on his face. The first thing he said to me was, "I didn't know you were working tonight" I told him yes, Garrett and I were both working tonight. Then I asked, what's wrong? All of them were staring at me, no one moved, so I asked again - louder "What's Wrong?!" I looked over Briggs shoulder into the trauma room and felt my world collapse around me. Garrett was lying on the gurney, intebated, defibrillators against his chest, there was blood everywhere. I screamed and tried to bolt into the room, to touch him, to hold him, to do anything I could to help. Briggs caught me around the waist and held on so tight I realized within the next few days I had bruises on my sides. I just remember crumpling to the floor watching - helpless, sobbing and screaming his name. The doctors pronounced him at 8:42pm. His Nissan Titan had been t-boned (drivers side) by a tractor trailer going roughly 50 mph. There was no hope....

The day before the funeral several of us were sitting at our house....my house....no one was really talking we were just....sitting there. My best friend broke the silence and said, "Well, you were able to talk to him one last time, able to say I love you before he died." I smiled, a fresh batch of tears started, I just shook my head and whispered, "the accident must have happened a few minutes after he called." I looked across the living room and Briggs had an odd expression on his face, I asked what was wrong - he asked me "What time did you talk to Garrett", I thought about it for a few minutes and then my expression matched his, then I answered him "About 20 minutes before you brought him in...." Briggs stared at me. My best friend asked, "Why do you ask?" Still staring at me Briggs answered "Because that's not possible, we recieved the call at the station at 7:36, we were on the scene by 7:41 and Garrett wasn't concious, by the time we pulled him out of the truck a little after 8:00 he didn't have a pulse, we started CPR immediately. Stacy, there's no way you could have talked to Garrett before we brought him in.... he was already dead."

No one in the room spoke, we all knew it had happened, my best friend answered the phone herself, Garrett said hello to her first and asked to speak to me. Other nurses and doctors around the nursing station overhead our conversation. He called to say he loved me one more time before he left.........

Months of therapy, weeks of vacation before stepping foot back into the ER. Some wounds never fully heal, and I don't really consider this a ghost story because I don't consider the man I loved most in this world a ghost - everyday I cherish the fact that I was allowed to talk to him one more time..... And I know he's still with me.... my firefighter....

HOLY MOLY! Some would have been helping me put "miss Edna" in bed! :crying2:

I have a story that is not really a ghost story... it's a dementia story, really, but it still scared the pee outa me at the time.

I was putting "Edna" to bed one night. She did have dementia and was also veeeerrrry paranoid.

Anyway, I had her wheelchair by her bed and was getting ready to put her in when she yells, "Honeeee! There's a man under the bed!"

So I, all ready to reassure her, kneel down, swipe my hand around under the bed and say, "See, Edna, there's no one there!"

Edna screamed and goes, "Look out! Look out! He's evil... and he's looking right back at you!"

Of course, I'm down there on the floor with my hand under the bed and she's telling me this.

It gave me the heebie jeebies and, like a kid afraid of monsters under the bed, I was waiting for someone to grab my ankles the whole rest of the time I was putting her to bed!

Specializes in NICU.

Hey everyone.

I few months ago we had a little old lady who was in her 90s. She had dementia but was always able to recognize her family members. Sometimes she knew she was in the hospital and sometimes she didn't. Her dementia always got much worse at night.

She had an older son who lived with her and took care of her at home. He came to visit everyday. Well the day before her planned discharge her son called up to the hospital. I spoke with him and he told me he had a cold and wasn't going to come up to the hospital to see his mom today. He told me to tell her that he loved her and that he would see her soon. I told the patient this and she was quite upset. She was always tearful in the evenings and she cried when I told her he wasn't coming. I work days so I left at 7.

The next morning the night nurse told me she cried all night and kept talking about the house being on fire. Of course they tried to calm her down but couldn't. When I went in to assess her that morning her eyes were blood shot and she looked awful. She turned to me and asked, "Did that boy die in the fire? If he did please just tell me, I need to know." I calmly reminded her that she was in the hospital and that there hasn't been a fire.

Later that morning her other family members were at the nurses station and wanted to talk to me. They told me that the patient wasn't going to be able to be discharged home today because there wasn't any one to take care of her. They told me that her oldest son was cooking the night before and the house caught fire. Her son was airlifted to the closest burn center and his prognosis was extremely poor. They asked me not to tell the patient anything about the fire. I explained to them how she had been acting and the things she had said to me. They were shocked but decided to still not tell her.

I'm not sure if they ever told her b/c I was off the next day, and I'm not sure if her son died or not. But the patient ended up having to go to a nursing home....

Talk about motherly intuition.

Gave me chills

Tiger.

i have a friend who doesn't believe in spirits/ghosts. she says that once you die, if you are intended for heaven you go straight there. she believes all spirits/shadows/ghosts are the devil. that he wants you on his side so bad that he will disguise himself as a grandson on a tricycle, a young girl, an infant, a beloved family member, etc.

hi, i agree with your friend, i am a devoted christian and have seen too much! here is a verse in the bible that clearly shows those who have passed do not return to speak to us or guide us.

luke 16:19-31. 'and besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' (luke 16:26)

feel free to read this in the bible! in fact i staff church retreats that are specifically to set people free from any oppresive lifestyle and heal their soul,spirit, and physical body! you wouldnt believe the things ive seen at these retreats, god is good and he shows his mercy and glory at every single retreat but oh does the devil show up too! along with his demons. one time we prayed over this women whos husband had commited suicide just 2 months earlier and she was having an extremely hard time healing from this hard time ( he called her and rushed her home because he said he needed to show her something, right when she walked in the door he killed himself in front of her face!) she felt like he was at fault in someway, anyway as we prayed for her she suddenly became unconcious, she was in a locked state of mind (seen this before in oher deliverences) when we demanded the demon let her mind go in jesus christ's name she returned to herself and when we told her to order any demons of depression, anxiety, sadness, and guilt to leave from her she couldnt do it, she would close her mouth and nod no, and scream and say she couldnt because she saw her husband telling her not to, when i heard that i told her theabove verse; luke 16:26, she instantly was able to see it indeed was not her husband and how it was really a demon, she rebuked him in the lord's name and now lives a happy life. this is just one of the many stories i have to tell regarding demons posing as a loved one.

thanks for that. that was so interesting and i've never seen spirits and stuff thought of like that. i was baptised and raised as an anglican. when i returned to my people, spirituality was something our people held sacred and it was considered a gift to be able to speak with the spirits and souls of the people and animals. also, the children are the ones with the connection to the spirit world and it wasn't something to be afraid of.

it's very interesting how cultures differ so immensely.

okay, i clicked on the 2nd link and i really shouldn't have . . . flippin' freaky.

posted by hygiene queen viewpost.gif

and...

http://www.ghostlytalk.com/node/502

these are just two i can find right now about the "hat man".

i mean, seriously, what gives?

i never had heard of it before and it just seems... well... plain silly that there is something floating all over the world scaring people and wearing, of all things, a top hat or fedora!

it was scary!!!!!!!!

officially creeped out now! :eek:
Specializes in ortho/neuro/ob/nicu.

We had a unit secretary who passed away rather suddenly, and she visits from time to time. She had a very distinct perfume (old lady fragrence) and we still smell it all over the unit. She has been gone for 6 yrs now, and it still happens....we just say "Hi Helen!", and sometimes it;s more than one nurse who catches her scent!

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
When I was about thirteen, I was sleeping over at a friend's house. I came back from the bathroom about 0300... only to see somebody walking toward me from the other end of the hallway...

I just about died of fright before I remembered the full-length mirror...

:hhmth::clphnds::rotfl::lol2:
Specializes in Geriatrics.
Hey everyone.

I few months ago we had a little old lady who was in her 90s. She had dementia but was always able to recognize her family members. Sometimes she knew she was in the hospital and sometimes she didn't. Her dementia always got much worse at night.

She had an older son who lived with her and took care of her at home. He came to visit everyday. Well the day before her planned discharge her son called up to the hospital. I spoke with him and he told me he had a cold and wasn't going to come up to the hospital to see his mom today. He told me to tell her that he loved her and that he would see her soon. I told the patient this and she was quite upset. She was always tearful in the evenings and she cried when I told her he wasn't coming. I work days so I left at 7.

The next morning the night nurse told me she cried all night and kept talking about the house being on fire. Of course they tried to calm her down but couldn't. When I went in to assess her that morning her eyes were blood shot and she looked awful. She turned to me and asked, "Did that boy die in the fire? If he did please just tell me, I need to know." I calmly reminded her that she was in the hospital and that there hasn't been a fire.

Later that morning her other family members were at the nurses station and wanted to talk to me. They told me that the patient wasn't going to be able to be discharged home today because there wasn't any one to take care of her. They told me that her oldest son was cooking the night before and the house caught fire. Her son was airlifted to the closest burn center and his prognosis was extremely poor. They asked me not to tell the patient anything about the fire. I explained to them how she had been acting and the things she had said to me. They were shocked but decided to still not tell her.

I'm not sure if they ever told her b/c I was off the next day, and I'm not sure if her son died or not. But the patient ended up having to go to a nursing home....

Talk about motherly intuition.

Gave me chills

Tiger.

Wow! This story is frightening. I cannot imagine the agony of predicting your own child's death and having them die before you. I feel really bad for that pt.

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..

i love this one. feel free to read this in the bible! in fact i staff church retreats that are specifically to set people free from any oppresive lifestyle and heal their soul,spirit, and physical body! you wouldnt believe the things ive seen at these retreats, god is good and he shows his mercy and glory at every single retreat but oh does the devil show up too! along with his demons. one time we prayed over this women whos husband had commited suicide just 2 months earlier and she was having an extremely hard time healing from this hard time ( he called her and rushed her home because he said he needed to show her something, right when she walked in the door he killed himself in front of her face!) she felt like he was at fault in someway, anyway as we prayed for her she suddenly became unconcious, she was in a locked state of mind (seen this before in oher deliverences) when we demanded the demon let her mind go in jesus christ's name she returned to herself and when we told her to order any demons of depression

grey_loader.gif

, anxiety, sadness, and guilt to leave from her she couldnt do it, she would close her mouth and nod no, and scream and say she couldnt because she saw her husband telling her not to, when i heard that i told her theabove verse; luke 16:26, she instantly was able to see it indeed was not her husband and how it was really a demon, she rebuked him in the lord's name and now lives a happy life. this is just one of the many stories i have to tell regarding demons posing as a loved one. and i definitely believe it.

Specializes in Neurovascular/Stroke Nurse.
I'd have to say nurse managers. I've heard they exist, but I very rarely see one.

Oooohhh, good one! I have to stand up for my manager though, he comes to work and rolls up his sleeves like he's a staff nurse! In fact, he's often solicited to bathe our modest, older, male patients!

Specializes in 12 years exp in corporate healthcare.

OMG!..so far these stories are good..lol!...:D.well I'm a rookie and new to this site (new CNA)..but...while doing my last week of clinicals at this LTC...their was a room and the staff called it the "Death Room" because 3 residents died in that room less than a few months apart so they never placed a new resident in that room again. The CNA that I was shadowing was goofy and fun to be with so I thought she was just kidding and I left it alone.They told me that the call light would come on or they would hear something fall an object in nobody would be in the room. So my instructor insisted that I practice on doing an unoccupied bed in the room..without any hesitation I said please can I do it elsewhere :bluecry1: (it was another empty room right next to it)..so as I'm washing my hands (a sink was right next to the room) the light my a** broke camp and was outie!.....:rckn: I couldn't beleive I witnessed that!

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