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...

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

The stoty that freaked me out was the one that when a male parient was dying, he begged the nurses not to let him die, because he wasn't going to be in a good place. Then after he did die, a couple nurses entered his room and saw him levitating above the head of his bed, wnd cursing them out for letting him die. YIKES!

[Trekfan]

Hi, frist please forgive the spelling in this post . I found this thread on the net and have been reading it all night and it has helped me so much . My mom just passed away in July she had been sick for years and was in the hospital when she passed .my dad did tell me how sick she was becouse I have been sick for months myself and he did not want me to get upset. So he told me she was geting better the night befor she died.

the next day I went to vist my mom and becouse I am leagly blind I could not read the sign that said to go see the nurse befor going in . I walked in the room and my mom laying on her bed her face was this odd yellow and she was not moving they ran in and told me that 15 min. Befor she had vomited so much that she breathed it in and died becouse her small bowl was blocked.

I sat with my mom for about an hour or two and when I went to leave I kissed her and said I love you ,you know I love don't you ? And right then the tv turned on the remote was on the table next to bed so there is no way I hit it . I now beleave my mom was and maybe still is in that room I am now thinking of doing something in the nursing feld as soon as I find out what I can do being half blind I have never run into a blind nurse

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

My father was home with hospice when he was dying. A few weeks prior to his death, he would get quiet, look intently out his bedroom door and down the hall. It was obvious he was seeing something I could not. When he did this I would get scared. Broad daylight no shadows, but I could feel something was there, that he could see and I could not. He did not seem afraid. But I was afraid to ask him what it was/ who it was.

I compared notes with my other siblings, and they also experienced the same feelings when my dad would look intently out the doorway and down the hall.

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Hi, frist please forgive the spelling in this post . I found this thread on the net and have been reading it all night and it has helped me so much . My mom just passed away in July she had been sick for years and was in the hospital when she passed .my dad did tell me how sick she was becouse I have been sick for months myself and he did not want me to get upset. So he told me she was geting better the night befor she died.

the next day I went to vist my mom and becouse I am leagly blind I could not read the sign that said to go see the nurse befor going in . I walked in the room and my mom laying on her bed her face was this odd yellow and she was not moving they ran in and told me that 15 min. Befor she had vomited so much that she breathed it in and died becouse her small bowl was blocked.

I sat with my mom for about an hour or two and when I went to leave I kissed her and said I love you ,you know I love don't you ? And right then the tv turned on the remote was on the table next to bed so there is no way I hit it . I now beleave my mom was and maybe still is in that room I am now thinking of doing something in the nursing feld as soon as I find out what I can do being half blind I have never run into a blind nurse

I am so sorry for your loss. I am sure your mom is watching over you-but you know that, don't you?

I'm afraid I can't think of anything in nursing that you could do, but maybe someone else on AN knows of a field you could get into. I wish you the very best of luck :redbeathe

[Bhavana]

Thanks for taking the time to look. I know some good sites I can maybe find it on, and there are also other good ghost videos on Youtube but if you do find it, just post it on here :) I love all that stuff - it scares me but I always have to go back and watch it, usually just before bedtime!

Sorry, I have been looking and looking and haven't been able to find the segment on the - well, found it listed as the show, but not a video of it. You will love it, I try to catch all of the ghost stuff on tv, and this is one that definitely gave me the major creeps. Someone will post it eventually!

[Bhavana]

Hi, frist please forgive the spelling in this post . I found this thread on the net and have been reading it all night and it has helped me so much . My mom just passed away in July she had been sick for years and was in the hospital when she passed .my dad did tell me how sick she was becouse I have been sick for months myself and he did not want me to get upset. So he told me she was geting better the night befor she died.

the next day I went to vist my mom and becouse I am leagly blind I could not read the sign that said to go see the nurse befor going in . I walked in the room and my mom laying on her bed her face was this odd yellow and she was not moving they ran in and told me that 15 min. Befor she had vomited so much that she breathed it in and died becouse her small bowl was blocked.

I sat with my mom for about an hour or two and when I went to leave I kissed her and said I love you ,you know I love don't you ? And right then the tv turned on the remote was on the table next to bed so there is no way I hit it . I now beleave my mom was and maybe still is in that room I am now thinking of doing something in the nursing feld as soon as I find out what I can do being half blind I have never run into a blind nurse

Good story, your mom probably did stay behind to say goodbye to you.

As for nursing, not sure what you could do with really bad eyesight. So much rides on vision when it comes to assessment. However, maybe you as a nurse could work with children who are also blind or adults who are losing their vision for whatever reason. Good luck to you

[Bhavana]

I think that a very creepy but fun thing to do is to visit an old mental hospital that has been shut down for years, and see if there is any paranormal activity there, especially at night.

why? people die everywhere. is it suppose to be creepier because they were mentally ill??

the creepy thing is that years ago mental hospitals were a much more unpleasant place to be than they are today. All the anguish and anxiety and emotional negativity is what is left behind after people die in places like that, which could contribute to a more sad or creep atmosphere.

[nicoleRN831]

This is a personal experience with my grandmother who died of renal failure while i was in nursing school. Let me start by saying my grandma was so proud that i was going into nursing school, she would tell everyone "I'm going to have a little nurse in my family" She would even tell all the nurses in the ICU that her grand daughter was going to be just like them.

I usually went to the hospital in the mornings before school but I had a test that day and wanted to look over some stuff so I decided I would go after the test. I took the test and in my school we have a review on powerpoint after the test. The powerpoint shows you the question, the answer and the rationale. So you can count how many you got wrong and know why they are wrong or right. I ended up getting only 1 wrong on that test... I couldn't wait to tell my grandma.

I drove to the hospital and my aunt was there. I walked in the room gave my grandma a kiss and said "hey gram guess what i got a 98 on my test." And my aunt pipes in and says why are you talking to her, she hasn't responded in 2 days. I looked at her and gave her a dirty look. and I continued to tell my grandma that I thought the test was so easy. and all of a sudden she says" Nikki I'm so proud of you, I'm going to have a nurse in the family." And that's all she said and didn't say anything else. I sat at the side of the bed for about an hour and the doctor came in and he said she didn't have a lot of time left. So I stayed with her a little more and they I told her I was going to call my mom to let her know that I was at the hospital so she knew where I was. And she squeezed my hand and I kissed her and said I will be right back.

I went out in the family waiting room to call my mom and tell her I was there and to come to the hospital soon because the doctor said she was getting worse. I go back into the room and her nurse was in there and said that shes leaving us.

I feel like she waited till I left the room because she was completely unresponsive for the last 2 days and she responded to me about my test and then she squeezed my hand when I told her I was going out in the hallway to call my mom. My aunt said that the minute I left the room her heart rate started to fall.

[Bhavana]

OK here is my Mum's after death experience.

My mum had 6 kids (not always by choice) & she had the last one quite late in life in her 30's in the mid-70's (that was quite old to have a last baby then).

Anyway her pregnancy, from what I can gather, wasn't the greatest & she was weak and sick when she was taken into the delivery room. The story is that the nurse giving her the gases got them mixed up and her heart gave out. She remembers floating above the staff working on her, and could recount exactly what they said. She said it wasn't like a dream, it was crystal clear and very real. Then she went down this long, long tunnel with very bright lights at the end of it, then she saw her mum who had died a few years ago. My Mum said she was screaming and crying that she wanted to go with her Mum into this light; she said the desire was stronger than anything she had ever encountered (even birth pains!) But her Mum just smiled beatifically & said it wasn't time for my Mum to come to her, she had work to finish and had to go back. My Mum was begging, pleading not to go back, but my grandma just kept smiling, & saying no. Mum also said that she had the most incredible sense of calm and peace, & felt that love was all around her-she said you don't feel anything like that in your earthly life. She wasn't concerned about any problems she had either because they all seemed so insignificant; she said you don't worry about anything in this new place; all your sorrows are forgotten. She couldn't emphasise this feeling of peace enough.

Well she remembers going back into her body and she was screaming and fighting to go back. She told the doctors about her experience and about what they said, and the doctor was astounded that she could relate everything they said.

She has never forgotten that experience & it left a big mark on her soul I think. I wondered about it for a long time & if we go to that beautiful place, I will be very glad.

My Mum has seen many ghosts and spirits in her lifetime. Her Mum was 'fay' in gaelic - she could sense things and tell when things were going to happen in advance. She had many premonitions as well that came true.

After death experiences fascinate me, because I have read stories where people go to a dark place, instead of seeing this tunnel of light & they have changed their ways afterwards. Scientists say it's just chemicals in the brain when we are dying, but I've often wondered that people from different cultures, with different religions experience the same, exact thing.

It makes you wonder about it all.

People from different cultures and religions seeing the same thing IS because we are all human, and maybe the same things happen as our brain dies...what the scientists say about neurons firing crazily and hallucinations etc..that is why the experience is similar for everyone. I hope there is something else, something beyond all this, and that is the basic human need, that is why we have religion - because the idea that after all the pain of life, there is NOTHING, no place to go, well, that is just too much to bear. Many strange things have happened through out history to make me think that there is something else beyond our scope of things - BUT no one has ever proven it, so I guess none of us will ever know, until we die.

[Bhavana]

Shannon77:

Witchcraft is another "religion" that apparently, many people believe in. I just think of it as, creative hollywood big bucks main theme. Or, I guess it's safe to say it's sorta like- American voodoo?

Some folks literally take "Harry Potter movies" TOO far.

I wonder if ghosts also have their own "preferred religion" to hang with?

witchcraft, or "wicca" as they call it, is for people who are desperate for attention, or power. Sort of silly if you ask me, don't they know there is no such thing as witches? I mean, I learned that in 1st grade.

[Bhavana]

Can I just say that I LOVE this thread? :yeah:

Two experiences from the hospital:

I had a room with two post-op patients; bed 1 was awaiting discharge on POD 3 and bed 2 was completing a series of abx. Bed 1 goes home and that leaves bed 2, a content 40-something gentleman reading quietly in the room. Later on that shift, I took an admission to bed 1; an elderly gent with CHF, looking worse for wear. Trying to get him settled, I felt badly that I couldn't seem to ease his discomfort, though he thanked me profusely for trying. Fast forward to nighty night, and I give report and go home.

I come back the next day to find bed 1 empty and bed 2 greeting me with a cheerful hello. I ask co-workers what happened to bed 1 and they point him out, in a room in front of the station. Uh oh. Although he wasn't my patient, I stopped in to see how he was doing and was surprised to find him still, peaceful...and looking much more pink and improved from the night before. Hmm. I cursed my (new) nursing judgement for thinking this man so much worse off and after exchanging pleasantries, went back to my own patients.

Bed 2 calls, (unusual), and I go in to check on him. He asks how bed 1 is doing and where he was transferred to. Before I can think of a polite way to answer questions about the status of the other patient, Bed 2's voice gets really low and says, "You know, don't think I'm crazy or anything, but I was sure that guy was going to die."

(keeping face emotionless) I ask, "oh, what made you feel that way?". Bed 2 tells me that he is a priest, and had a feeling that he was placed with this gentleman to "help him cross".

Sure enough, patient from Bed 1 begins to take off his clothes, pointing at people we couldn't see, and telling us that he was going home. He did go home that night, and I was with his nurse to hold his hand as he passed.

--

Another, from when I was a tech:

Elderly lady patient, in for surgery. Several days on the ward. After surgery, developed an infection and moved to isolation for treatment. Not surprisingly, she deteriorated and became confused as the days mounted. I was in her room, helping her through AM care, when she asked me 'if (I) scared easy'. I laughed - telling her no one from Texas scares easy - and ask her how I can help. She tells me that there is an animal - a furry one, maybe a dog, she says - hiding under the bed. "It keeps biting me", she says, "and it doesn't have eyes, a real mean-looking critter."

(pause to think of good answer) I made a big production of looking for the dog and reassuring her that there wasn't a dog and she needn't be afraid. She told me that I was a dear but I was very mistaken, and she was glad that I couldn't see it.

Sure enough, she began screaming later that night and was flailing against the dog, telling us not to let them get her. She passed away, but kept that awful expression - fright, really - on her face.

--

Personally, I've had some strange things happen when I had moved into my last apartment. Scratching in the walls, voices when no one else was home, doors closing on their own, feeling like you're being watched. Landlord wasn't surprised when I moved out at exactly 1 year, 1 day.

More stories, please! Anyone?

This is the 4th or 5th posts I have read here where patients saw dogs, or some sort of animal, usually black. One of the first posts in this thread is about a man in a nursing home, sees a black dog with red eyes, and it is trying to bite him - he dies that night, I think.... none of these dog posts are pleasant stories. Sort of surprises me, because dogs are such loving creatures, I would be happy and honored to have a dog escort me to heaven. But with the patients in these stories, I wonder, did they live good lives? Why are some people so peaceful at death and others so afraid? Is the dog real, or a symptom of their fear?

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

why are some people so peaceful at death and others so afraid?

excellent question.