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...

[hecallsmeDuchess]

Hahaha! Ghost stories...

The other night I turned on the lights in the hall just to go see what a patient at the end of the hall wanted. When I returned the other nurses asked why I had turned on the hallway light just to walk down the hall and I told them why.

This is the reason: One night last October, a light had gone on in the last room at the end of that same hallway and I went dutifully down to see what the patient there wanted. I got to the end of the hall and went into the room and the bed was well made but there was no patient in there. And the call light cord was not even plugged into the wall as in there was no call light cord in that room. Of course I didn't wait to logically find out how it was possible that the call light went on in an empty room without a call light cord, I ran down the hallway screaming. The aides on duty that night asked what was wrong since I had come sprinting out of the room without turning the call light off. In between taking deep gulps of air, I told them there was nobody in that room. Two of them went in together and found the call light cord on the floor, replugged it and turned the light off. Later on that night, the call light in that room went off at least twice (guess who wasn't so dutifully answering it!).

[thomas81z]

wow im reading this thread last nite and i got a call at 1030 pm and found out a friend ODed or committed suicide she was only 26 and had a 1 year old really sad . hope she finds peace and doesnt hang around this realm

[CFitzRN, ADN]

Thomas, sorry to hear about that - very tragic.

I am updating with a story that happened with my new job (Clinical Sup at a local home health agency). I had been working in the office for about 3-4 weeks at the time. We have a small internal staff - 5 besides myself. It was getting near the end of the day and our director was out doing some marketing. The rest of us were sitting around our "conference" table - we use it to eat and socialize - my back was to the hallway. At some point during our conversation I heard and felt someone walking up behind me. I totally assumed it was our director having returned from her marketing. When she didn't appear I turned around to look down the dark hallway and there was nothing, and no one, there. I got one of those shuddery-feelings with cold chills and everything - and I am NOT one of those easily-spooked people. I must have turned white because one of my coworkers asked me what was wrong. I explained what had just happened and they all exchanged glances and sort of laughed. I said "WHAT? What are you guys not telling me?". One of the more senior staff members said "oh, you'll see..." After absolutely losing my mind insisting they tell me what they were talking about, they finally explained that the office is haunted and they were always hearing things and seeing things in the corners of their eyes - that sort of thing. I pretty much dismissed their stories and laughed them off. Then we all went back to our respective offices to finish up for the day and my air-freshener (the kind that you can set for 9, 18 or 36 minutes) sprayed as I walked by it. It was off. I double checked and sure enough, it was off. That's when I knew they weren't pulling my leg.

Nothing else happened until Friday, when I decided to stay late getting some paperwork done. I decided to turn most of the office lights off so that no one would think we were open (clients or field staff wanting to drop off time slips). I wasn't afraid at all - I tend not to be afraid of much. As I was filing some papers in charts, I heard rustling in the hallway. It was then I remembered the whole "no one in the hallway" and "phantom air-freshener" things. I decided to ignore it and continue to work but I just kept hearing noises right outside the office I was working in. I periodically went into the dark hall to look around and didn't see anything, but as soon as I would go back to working, the noises would return. I finally said "forget it" and hightailed it out of the office and went home. I am a firm believer in God and I know we have authority over evil in Jesus' name, but I decided I had worked long enough hours, thank you very much.

[vegas2009]

Thomas, sorry to hear about that - very tragic.

As I was filing some papers in charts, I heard rustling in the hallway. It was then I remembered the whole "no one in the hallway" and "phantom air-freshener" things. I decided to ignore it and continue to work but I just kept hearing noises right outside the office I was working in. I periodically went into the dark hall to look around and didn't see anything, but as soon as I would go back to working, the noises would return.

Question: What are "phantom air-freshener" things? Also, could it be possible that the place you were in, was infested with rats? Or maybe, there were nesting birds up in the roof?

[CFitzRN, ADN]

"Then we all went back to our respective offices to finish up for the day and my air-freshener (the kind that you can set for 9, 18 or 36 minutes) sprayed as I walked by it. It was off. I double checked and sure enough, it was off. That's when I knew they weren't pulling my leg."

That's the phantom air-freshener thing.

I suppose it is possible there could be vermin but it's a fairly new office structure in a newish part of town; we've never once caught sight of anything nor have we seen any telltale signs of vermin (droppings, etc). I suppose it's possible there could be birds nests somewhere but again, never seen any sign of that, nor can I think of a place they could have nested.

[ShannonRN2010, BSN, RN]

One time when I was working in the nursing home, I was watching a monitor at the nurses station. I could veiw the back hallway, rec. area, smoking area and the lobby. I was looking at the monitor and there was a black mass moving across the hall, back and forth, between two rooms. I walked into the lobby and looked down the hall and of course nothing was there.

One time my BFF saw a black mass in the shape of a man with a hat on at like 3am in the rec. area.

Then there was the time that this obese woman (would could not sit up on her own) sat up in the bed, got the single evilest look on her face and looks at my two nurse aids and says "They are coming for you...they are gonna get'cha!" FREAKED me out.

Then two days later, my aides had me come in the same room, cause her room mate was literally being thrown in the chair, I mean literally being picked up and thown back in the chair. THAT was scary.

Her doctor had me send her to a mental rehab center and said she needed an exercism! LoL

[vegas2009]

[quote=CFitzRN;4338068 That's the phantom air-freshener thing. I suppose it is possible there could be vermin but it's a fairly new office structure in a newish part of town; we've never once caught sight of anything nor have we seen any telltale signs of vermin (droppings, etc). I suppose it's possible there could be birds nests somewhere

lol, I guess saying.... "phantom air-freshner" sounds better, since it sounds mysterious. As oppose to saying, "automatic air-freshners." It's a good thing that you didn't see an apparition. What would you do, if you did see one? Would you try to talk to it? RUN? Freeze like a guinea pig and pretend it doesn't see you, OR try to shoo it away? --->> I don't even think that's possible, but with ghosts -- anything is possible!

[vegas2009]

One time my BFF saw a black mass in the shape of a man with a hat on at like 3am in the rec. area.

I've heard of 'black masses floating around' from various people who claimed they've seen those. I was told that if you see one, get away from it. The floating black masses are actually bad restless souls, who may or may not know they're not in our plain anymore. I don't know if that's true, since I haven't seen one.

Several people have also said that restless souls are actually clear white.

[iNurseUK, RN]

'Twas a dark and stormy night on the Plastics ward I worked for at the time. Well actually it was about 8.30 pm and I was working the Late shift. But it was winter and it was dark.

Manifesting suddenly in a puff of hellish smoke...AHEM....a patient came on the ward unannounced with a post-op problem with a tendon repair we had carried out some weeks previously. Taking the hellish history we gained the arcane lore that he had attended the outpatients clinic two days previously. From this we deduced that his medical notes would be there.

A strange and foreboding coincidence lay therein...for who should hold the keys to Plastics Outpatients after hours but us?

So it was that I was despatched to unlock the dread portal to seek the precious medical notes. All lay in darkness yet upon entering into that little-known realm not all was still.

Fell voices were upon the air, low they were yet menacing. No sense could I make of the words yet the voices were there in the darkness of the locked, still outpatients.

Gathering my courage I hastened to Reception and the basket contained therein of patients seen within the last two days. Still the voices murmured and I grew afraid but locating my prize i hastened forth from Reception. It was then I saw it.

"Twas a red light glowing with malice in the gloom. I drew breath recognising the malign light of an LED. It was true then. A radio had been left on in Outpatients.

[VioletKaliLPN, LPN]

i have a couple of stories that i would love to share. i worked as a care aide in an alf for about 3 years, that was before it became mainstream to use cna's in alf here in nc, and i had some interesting things happen.

it was alf, so many of our patients were ambulatory, alert and oriented, and spunky. anyone with dementia and ambulation issues recieved services on a special hall with extra staff.

**the alf had a care aide who passed away before i was hired, but the residents still talked about her. she was well loved. one night, one of our healthiest and most independent residents got up to use the restroom, but she tripped on something and fell. she broke her hip. she was nowhere near the call button, and she could not get herself up. all of a sudden we heard a muffled "help!" and then saw her call light button light up and ring. we always check on even the most independent residents, you never know when someone will need you.

when we ran into her room she was well away from her call light, so we asked her if she fell while pulling the string, because we could not figure out what happened at first. she stated that 'the aide' who was deceased pulled the string for her so she could get help.

there were other stories about this aide, and "helpful" things happening, but this one was really special.

i guess she cared so much for the residents that her 'spirit' never left...

[StacyMae]

I am so glad that I found these posts, I was just doing an internet search to help rationalize my very recent "experience". I have always heard stories from other nurses, but with the exception of a few unexplainable call lights, and monitors turning themself on and off I never had much to contribute. I have have worked in trauma and burn critical care for the past decade and needless to say, I am around death a lot. Many patients will describe having loved ones present at time of death; but being a creature of science I put it in the category of "hallucinating patient" and never thought much else of it. That all changed 2 days ago. I was working in the trauma/surgical ICU and was caring for a patient with end stage renal disease and sepsis due to an old infected dialysis cath. She was a DNR/DNI. She was blind from cataracts and diabetes (the blindness is important later in the story) I was in the process of starting her on CVVHD when she started conversing with her "spiritual guides" as she called them. I immediately did a neuro exam, and found she was completely intact. I then checked her blood sugar and her vitals, all were WNL. So I decided to let her talk about what she was seeing. She explained to me that there were multiple people around her bed, and became very discriptive with what they looked like and what they were telling her. They were giving her future predictions to tell me. Some were family members who had passed, and others she did not know. They were all different ages, the youngest being a 3 year old girl. (In all reality I was the only person in her room besides her) I talked with her awhile as I started up her dialysis. She explained that her time was almost up, that she wasn't scared. The spirits told her her body is too sick to go on, but her own spirit was not quite ready to leave this world yet. The spirits were going to be with her and wait for her spirit to be ready to leave. After letting her talk about how she felt about dying, I turned the lights down and closed the blinds so she could rest for awhile. I stepped outside of her room to chart. I was sitting down facing the room charting on the computer when I saw a very dark shadow move through the room. I jumped up and went in the room (I thought housekeeping or someone went into the room, and I was going to kick them out so she could rest) I walked into the room, and know one was there except for my patient. All of a sudden at the head of her bed on the opposite side of the room from me was a very large dark moving shadow. My blind patient looked me straight in the eyes and then at the shadow(with her completly clouded over eyes) and said "you see it too!". She stopped breathing minutes later.

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

I am so glad that I found these posts, I was just doing an internet search to help rationalize my very recent "experience". I have always heard stories from other nurses, but with the exception of a few unexplainable call lights, and monitors turning themself on and off I never had much to contribute. I have have worked in trauma and burn critical care for the past decade and needless to say, I am around death a lot. Many patients will describe having loved ones present at time of death; but being a creature of science I put it in the category of "hallucinating patient" and never thought much else of it. That all changed 2 days ago. I was working in the trauma/surgical ICU and was caring for a patient with end stage renal disease and sepsis due to an old infected dialysis cath. She was a DNR/DNI. She was blind from cataracts and diabetes (the blindness is important later in the story) I was in the process of starting her on CVVHD when she started conversing with her "spiritual guides" as she called them. I immediately did a neuro exam, and found she was completely intact. I then checked her blood sugar and her vitals, all were WNL. So I decided to let her talk about what she was seeing. She explained to me that there were multiple people around her bed, and became very discriptive with what they looked like and what they were telling her. They were giving her future predictions to tell me. Some were family members who had passed, and others she did not know. They were all different ages, the youngest being a 3 year old girl. (In all reality I was the only person in her room besides her) I talked with her awhile as I started up her dialysis. She explained that her time was almost up, that she wasn't scared. The spirits told her her body is too sick to go on, but her own spirit was not quite ready to leave this world yet. The spirits were going to be with her and wait for her spirit to be ready to leave. After letting her talk about how she felt about dying, I turned the lights down and closed the blinds so she could rest for awhile. I stepped outside of her room to chart. I was sitting down facing the room charting on the computer when I saw a very dark shadow move through the room. I jumped up and went in the room (I thought housekeeping or someone went into the room, and I was going to kick them out so she could rest) I walked into the room, and know one was there except for my patient. All of a sudden at the head of her bed on the opposite side of the room from me was a very large dark moving shadow. My blind patient looked me straight in the eyes and then at the shadow(with her completly clouded over eyes) and said "you see it too!". She stopped breathing minutes later.

Cool!!!!