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...

[Cthulhu]

The best way I can describe what has happened to me is that I have had several patients who were very near death give me "prophecies" about what would happen to me in the future and they have come true.

It was not general information like "you will have a good life."

It was very specific, and in sequence, "Such and such will happen, then such and such will happen." Fortunatly they have been good "prophecies" and not bad.

[NuteRN]

Well I was ust talking to a co-worker about some of these stories, and she asked if I knew the story of out room 601. I have only been here 6 months, so I havn't. She says there was a young man who was in a ATV accident and dies in that room. Sometimes, if it is unoccupied, you can nudge the door open a little and vaguly see him around the privacy curtain. Also, there are darting shadows that have been seen at that end of the hall....I doubt I'll sleep well when I get home now.

[Hygiene Queen]

... there was a young man who was in a ATV accident and dies in that room. Sometimes, if it is unoccupied, you can nudge the door open a little and vaguly see him around the privacy curtain.

BLAAAAAH! Is he looking right back at you????

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[StatBlues]

I think for the people you feel are still lingering at the hospital. Just tell them you, have died. You need to go into the light.

It is ok. I have prayed for your soul. If you have sined just ask for forgiveness.

It is ok to cross over now.........

Or something like that.

No need to feel afraid of them. :redpinkhe

[lab211]

I used be in another health-care field before I became a nurse. My story is based in a hospital that has since become a long-term care facility. I worked the 11 pm to 7 am shift. Every morning at about 4 am I did my ICU rounds. One particular morning as I entered the ICU, I sensed something was odd because the 3 nurses at the nurse station were unusually quiet. I asked one in a whisper, "Is something wrong". She replied quietly, "I started with the monitor turning on by itself". She signaled toward an empty room. I watched as the curtain around the hospital bed moved on it's own until it stoped exposing the whole bed. The last patient to die in that bed was a hospital employee who became acutely ill. I still at times run into these nurses somewhere and remind them of that occurence. They acknowledge the experience too. I don't have an scientific explanation for what we saw. Subsequently, I have observed other phenomenon at another hospital I worked at in the presence of others. I wonder.

[magjentes]

I am not a nurse, but was directed to this forum about ghost stories, from my sister who is a nurse. Really enjoying the reading!

Not necessarily a ghost story, but my Mom passed away in 2006, and there have been a couple of strange incidents associated with that.

• After my Mom had a massive stroke, she developed dementia during the last few months of her life. Probably the only good thing about her dementia was that she "forgot" that my Dad had passed away 18 months earlier, and she often talked of him as if he was there (who knows - maybe he was?). She needed 24 hour nursing care, so we reluctantly placed her in a nursing home. She was confused as to time and place most of the time, and was often angry and would act out (I think caused by frustration). I visited every day after work. She was basically holding her own for about 2 months, however, one morning I woke up around 5 AM with an overwhelming sense that I needed to see her earlier than normal, so I decided to visit before work. It was about a 10 minute drive to the nursing facility, and about 2 blocks from my home my cell phone rang - It was the home notifying me that she had taken a turn for the worst, and that I should come ASAP. I told them I was already on my way. She lasted about 20 more hours, never regaining consciousness, before passing away peacefully.
  

• My Mom had many grandchildren, but was closest to my daughter. My parents had watched my daughter every week day for 12 years while I worked, so they were really close. My daughter was 17 when my Mom had her stroke. Just prior to my Mom's death, my daughter had gone to a camp for several days. Unfortunately, my Mom passed away while my daughter was away. After leaving the nursing home, I came home and called the camp office and asked them to have her please call me. When my daughter called, her first words to me were "Nana died, didn't she?" I told her yes. My daughter told me that the night before she had a dream in which she saw my Dad's hand, and then my Mom reach out and take his hand, and she knew that meant that Nana had passed away.
  

• About 6 months after Mom's passing, I was sound asleep when I heard her calling me. I woke up, and looked at the alarm clock - it read 3:16 AM. I went back to sleep, assuming of course that I had been dreaming of her. I didn't mention the incident to anyone, really not even thinking about it the next day in my rush to get through my morning rituals and get to work. The next day my daughter told me she had dreamed of Nana the night before, and it was a disturbing dream. She said in her dream the entire family was at some picnic, and Nana was there. She said Nana was really agitated, and kept calling for me, and was highly upset that I wasn't there. My daughter said she woke up, and when she looked at the clock it was 3:16! I told her what happened to me and we both figured my Mom was trying to get my attention for something, although I haven't figured out what.
  

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

I am not a nurse, but was directed to this forum about ghost stories, from my sister who is a nurse. Really enjoying the reading!

Not necessarily a ghost story, but my Mom passed away in 2006, and there have been a couple of strange incidents associated with that.

• After my Mom had a massive stroke, she developed dementia during the last few months of her life. Probably the only good thing about her dementia was that she "forgot" that my Dad had passed away 18 months earlier, and she often talked of him as if he was there (who knows - maybe he was?). She needed 24 hour nursing care, so we reluctantly placed her in a nursing home. She was confused as to time and place most of the time, and was often angry and would act out (I think caused by frustration). I visited every day after work. She was basically holding her own for about 2 months, however, one morning I woke up around 5 AM with an overwhelming sense that I needed to see her earlier than normal, so I decided to visit before work. It was about a 10 minute drive to the nursing facility, and about 2 blocks from my home my cell phone rang - It was the home notifying me that she had taken a turn for the worst, and that I should come ASAP. I told them I was already on my way. She lasted about 20 more hours, never regaining consciousness, before passing away peacefully.
  

• My Mom had many grandchildren, but was closest to my daughter. My parents had watched my daughter every week day for 12 years while I worked, so they were really close. My daughter was 17 when my Mom had her stroke. Just prior to my Mom's death, my daughter had gone to a camp for several days. Unfortunately, my Mom passed away while my daughter was away. After leaving the nursing home, I came home and called the camp office and asked them to have her please call me. When my daughter called, her first words to me were "Nana died, didn't she?" I told her yes. My daughter told me that the night before she had a dream in which she saw my Dad's hand, and then my Mom reach out and take his hand, and she knew that meant that Nana had passed away.
  

• About 6 months after Mom's passing, I was sound asleep when I heard her calling me. I woke up, and looked at the alarm clock - it read 3:16 AM. I went back to sleep, assuming of course that I had been dreaming of her. I didn't mention the incident to anyone, really not even thinking about it the next day in my rush to get through my morning rituals and get to work. The next day my daughter told me she had dreamed of Nana the night before, and it was a disturbing dream. She said in her dream the entire family was at some picnic, and Nana was there. She said Nana was really agitated, and kept calling for me, and was highly upset that I wasn't there. My daughter said she woke up, and when she looked at the clock it was 3:16! I told her what happened to me and we both figured my Mom was trying to get my attention for something, although I haven't figured out what.
  

Interesting.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

I am not a nurse, but was directed to this forum about ghost stories, from my sister who is a nurse. Really enjoying the reading!

Not necessarily a ghost story, but my Mom passed away in 2006, and there have been a couple of strange incidents associated with that.

• About 6 months after Mom's passing, I was sound asleep when I heard her calling me. I woke up, and looked at the alarm clock - it read 3:16 AM. I went back to sleep, assuming of course that I had been dreaming of her. I didn't mention the incident to anyone, really not even thinking about it the next day in my rush to get through my morning rituals and get to work. The next day my daughter told me she had dreamed of Nana the night before, and it was a disturbing dream. She said in her dream the entire family was at some picnic, and Nana was there. She said Nana was really agitated, and kept calling for me, and was highly upset that I wasn't there. My daughter said she woke up, and when she looked at the clock it was 3:16! I told her what happened to me and we both figured my Mom was trying to get my attention for something, although I haven't figured out what.
  

simply ask her.....

[CareteamRN70]

Not a ghost story per se but it does allways remind me of the infamous nurse gallows humor that seems to develop as a coping skill. Several years ago I was working a sub acute unit as a tech (non cna aide). I worked the 11p to 7am shift and spent most of my time answering call lights, taking vitals, getting linens, etc. The unit had one room designated as an emergency hospice room since most patients who were admited to that room passed within 12-24 hrs of admit. The room was almost never used while I was there but many of the night shift nurses would tell the techs "spooky" stories related to that room such as seeing people out of the corners of their eye, hearing voices talking to the patient with no one else in room, etc. Well one night I was working the hall, and a call light came up...from the hospice room. I got down there and there was no pt in room so i turned off the call, checked the bathroom, and even checked with the nurses station to make sure there was no pt in the room. I went back to my work and ten minutes later call light ring outs..same room..the nurses at the station are now looking at each other saying "thats weird". I go back down there..nothing again. back to work. 15 minutes later call light again...this time i tromp down there determined to disconect the call light call. I entered the room just in time to hear a small childlike voice rasp "help me"..I froze, felt the hair go up on my neck..and slowly entered the room to turn off the call light....as I approached the bed I got one of those 6th sense feelings i wasnt alone which added to my imagination even more..I kept looking in the window to see if i could see anyone else in the reflection..I just knew I was gonna see someone behind me...no one. I let out a sigh..turned off the call light..turned to leave...and a hand reaches out from personal articles/extra linen closet and grabs my arm....I shrieked like a little girl (I was 30 yrs old and a 200+lb male)..one of the nurses had snuck down the hall and hid in the closet..the nurses at the call station had been setting off the call light from the desk..the voice asking for help was a nurse muffling her voice over the room intercom. I didnt speak to any of them for the last 4 hours of my shift but at least I "livened up" what normally was a long tedious shift. I was angry for 2 weeks..until we got a new tech..who asked me about the "death room" and did I ever see anything in there? Well I told him all the stories i had heard...and when he went down the hall to start his rounds.. The nurses grinned at me and said "wait until he is on the next hall before you get in the closet"

[StatBlues]

magjentes

Before you to go to bed. Ask your mom to come to you in a dream again. And, be more direct with her message to you.

I believe they can hear you on the other side.

[BabyCatchr, ADN, ASN, RN]

You have quite a bit of fun with your history of rude posts, don't you?

Wow I wonder why they call you "scarymary" ...

I could never GUESS why ... LOL

[kcb007]

OMG!!!