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...

RNPolly said:
All right; I can resist no longer. Not a ghost story, but a kind of premonition, perhaps.

My brother, age 20, had been sick for a week with "the flu" when I left for college in 1972 at age 17. Several days later, I hear from my folks that he is in the hospital and has survived a close call with a ruptured appy. (He had been to the doc at least once, if not twice, during this week. But that's another story, as the doc was later disciplined by the state medical society for failure to provide minimal care - not my brother's case.) I was angry with my folks for years for not telling me what was transpiring, but I am mature enough now to realize that they thought they were doing the best thing by not adding to my stress level.

Anyway, the next day, suddenly, without a shadow of a doubt, I KNEW that he had died. I actually hid in a campus building where I knew no one would think to look for me so I could spend a couple hours alone, crying, before I felt ready to face those who would be coming to fetch me and send me home. Which is exactly what happened. My boyfriend-at-the-time had looked for me on another floor of that building, and, unable to find me, was waiting for me at the bike rack outside my dorm when I returned. My brother's death was totally unexpected - pulmonary embolism after ambulating in the hall with his fiance; they were to be married in one month. A tragedy all around.

Another weird thing that I have shared (until now) only with my sister:

About a month after his death, I had a very vivid dream. On a bright, sunny day, with puffy white clouds in an azure sky, I find myself walking down a street. Obviously a new street, as only new construction is visible. Several houses are going up, with many busy workmen about, and I hear the sounds of their talking and hammering as they pound nails in the wall partitions going up. As I pass the first house, my brother jumps down from the open first floor where he is either working or supervising and steps out to greet me. He motions to the house and tells me that he is building this house and that, when it is finished, I will come and live with him there.

That's all I remember, but it is the ONLY dream I've ever had that I can remember for more than a day or two - and this is 33 years later (yep, I'm "mature"). I cannot share this with anyone, for it makes me cry to think of it, which it does now. A few years ago, I finally shared it with my sister, who says she has had the same dream. I am convinced (and comforted by the thought) that when it is my time to pass, my brother will be there to greet me.

So reassuring. love this.

Specializes in Hospice Palliative Care.

My grandpa died last Feburary and as he was dying my mom was sitting with him and he called out to his cousin who died years ago. My mom said it was like he was seeing her and told him to go see her, which he did as he died minutes later.

I don't think he went far though as my grandma woke up a few weeks ago to "hear" someone humming a song she knew. She got up and turned all the lights on in the house but she could still hear it, then she realized she could hear my grandpa singing a hymn that they both loved. She started singing with him and they sung the whole hymn together and then the sound stopped. She said that she was not scared at all and just feels that grandpa was telling her he was alright and was still looking out for her. The thing is that grandma is totally deaf without her hearing aids in and doesn't wear them to bed but she heard grandpa and knows she was fully awake durring this experience.

Specializes in Infectious Disease.

I've shared this story on another thread but I believe my daughter gets visited by her great-grandmother. She used to tell us stories about her Nana all of the time which is funny because Nana died two days after my daughter was born. Before she died though, she used to tell me to hurry up and give her a baby girl. She was so excited about having a great granddaughter.

The most alarming story began when my daughter was 2.5 years old. She came to me and told me that her Nana was taking care of her little brother and that he would be coming to live with us soon. I laughed her off because my husband and I were taking every precaution, outside of abstinence, to avoid a pregnancy. I always knew within the first three weeks if I were expecting and there were no symptoms. Anyhow, after a couple of months I started feeling weird. I went to the doctor for a checkup and he decided to do a pregnancy test. The test came back negative. I started taking vitamins and trying to get some extra sleep because I was really dragging. I kept feeling this way for about another month, and I missed my period, so I went back to the doctor. Another pregnancy test, another negative result. We chalked it up to the financial stress we were under. He gave me some medication to bring my period on. After about two weeks the period didn't come but I kept remembering my daughter telling me about her little brother. Even if the tests had come back positive, my husband and I figured we would terminate the pregnancy because we were in no position to care for another child. I actually called some clinics to get information about the procedure because I've never had one and wanted to be informed. After finishing the medication, I went back to the doctor. He gave me another pregnancy test, this one came back positive. I was immediately scheduled for an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. I found out I was 4.5 months pregnant. Too far along for me to feel ok about terminating. I also found out the baby was a boy. I was floored. Nana told my daughter that she had my baby boy, waiting for him to come home. She still tells us stories about her Nana but she seems to be more uncomfortable now that she is 9 years old.

Specializes in MED/SURG, ONCOLOGY, PEDIATRICS, ER.
I've shared this story on another thread but I believe my daughter gets visited by her great-grandmother. She used to tell us stories about her Nana all of the time which is funny because Nana died two days after my daughter was born. Before she died though, she used to tell me to hurry up and give her a baby girl. She was so excited about having a great granddaughter.

The most alarming story began when my daughter was 2.5 years old. She came to me and told me that her Nana was taking care of her little brother and that he would be coming to live with us soon. I laughed her off because my husband and I were taking every precaution, outside of abstinence, to avoid a pregnancy. I always knew within the first three weeks if I were expecting and there were no symptoms. Anyhow, after a couple of months I started feeling weird. I went to the doctor for a checkup and he decided to do a pregnancy test. The test came back negative. I started taking vitamins and trying to get some extra sleep because I was really dragging. I kept feeling this way for about another month, and I missed my period, so I went back to the doctor. Another pregnancy test, another negative result. We chalked it up to the financial stress we were under. He gave me some medication to bring my period on. After about two weeks the period didn't come but I kept remembering my daughter telling me about her little brother. Even if the tests had come back positive, my husband and I figured we would terminate the pregnancy because we were in no position to care for another child. I actually called some clinics to get information about the procedure because I've never had one and wanted to be informed. After finishing the medication, I went back to the doctor. He gave me another pregnancy test, this one came back positive. I was immediately scheduled for an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. I found out I was 4.5 months pregnant. Too far along for me to feel ok about terminating. I also found out the baby was a boy. I was floored. Nana told my daughter that she had my baby boy, waiting for him to come home. She still tells us stories about her Nana but she seems to be more uncomfortable now that she is 9 years old.

Amazing story....Lovely though. Alexillytom, how is your baby boy? Just curious.....

When I was 13, my great-grandfather was in a Nursing Home, and I was visiting. When it was time to go, I said "I'll see ya tomorrow Papa, I love you!" He replied "I won't be here tomorrow, I'm going home tonight." I tried to reassure him that "this is your new home" He said convinced, "No I'm going to my real home tonight." He passed Away before morning.

I also believe he spoke to me years later when I was 19 years old, when I was traveling a curvy, country road in January that had been icy, but melted for several days. I was in a straight away and heading for a curvy section, when I heard "you really need to slow down!" in a familiar voice. I heeded the warning and hit a 20 ft ice patch at 25 miles an hour and accelerated to 55+ according to State Patrol estimates before hitting an embankment head-on and flipping the car!

My Daddy told his sister and brother in law that he was going to have the family all together for Halloween in Oct. 2003. (He had been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer in Jan of 2001 and given only 6 months.) On Oct 30th, (week after my sister from Maine, and 1 day after her husband arrived) he took his last breaths. He had ACTUALLY "planned" his death so to speak. He had only his wife, children (and husbands), grandchildren and a few chosen others by his side for his death.

My mom is convinced that daddy kicked her in the shin, causing her blood clot in June of 2004 when she was telling my uncle about her plans for fixing up the house. She said she felt like someone kicked her in the shin, and two days later she was in the hospital with a blood clot.....no one saw anything, and she was sitting on her front porch! She convinced herself it was Daddy telling her she needed to slow down!

I BELIEVE WE ARE WATCHED OVER BY LOVED ONES!!!

Specializes in ER, PED'S, NICU, CLINICAL M., ONCO..

I believe this must come too late. Provably not important by itself, but necessary to hold on my connection to allnurses.com, so I give you this.

I've been working in two huge hospitals, three clinics, and an ambulance system as paramedic as well. I heard ghost-stories everywhere. Anyway I guess the most relevant are the latest ones. We have a ghost on our third flour called "the blond of the third" she used to dress herself as a nurse and perform nursing duties.

The most relevant aspect of "the blond" is that no nurse or doctor has ever seen her but our patients. Generally, they use to say something like: "The blond nurse has told me..." or "few minutes ago a blond nurse gave me my medication".

Some related that she has no legs, I mean; she floats on the air and so on.

I don't know what you would think about it.

Anyone of us did pay much attention to it. No one got in panic. Just heard the repeated stories from our patients one and another time without adding much anxiety.

These things might happen, specially where people die every day. It means nothing anyway. Just a tale to tell. Nothing will change our reality, our daily affairs. Our miseries.

We joke about it but don't pay to that much credit. We're nurses, busy and tired to give such things much energy.

vemiliob said:
I believe this must come too late. Provably not important by itself, but necessary to hold on my connection to allnurses.com, so I give you this.

I've been working in two huge hospitals, three clinics, and an ambulance system as paramedic as well. I heard ghost-stories everywhere. Anyway I guess the most relevant are the latest ones. We have a ghost on our third flour called "the blond of the third" she used to dress herself as a nurse and perform nursing duties.

The most relevant aspect of "the blond" is that no nurse or doctor has ever seen her but our patients. Generally, they use to say something like: "The blond nurse has told me..." or "few minutes ago a blond nurse gave me my medication".

Some related that she has no legs, I mean; she floats on the air and so on.

I don't know what you would think about it.

Anyone of us did pay much attention to it. No one got in panic. Just heard the repeated stories from our patients one and another time without adding much anxiety.

These things might happen, specially where people die every day. It means nothing anyway. Just a tale to tell. Nothing will change our reality, our daily affairs. Our miseries.

We joke about it but don't pay to that much credit. We're nurses, busy and tired to give such things much energy.

Why do you not share some of your other stories buenos aires curious as to what you heard or saw. thanks for sharing .........sounds like that blond nurse does her rounds ............lol

It was the middle of the Month of April 1995. I was working at a LTC facility, and had gone outside to smoke a cigarette with a coworker. Being the middle of April in Oklahoma you tend to see some strange cloud formations. My friend and I saw these clouds that looked like the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and they were headed toward OKCity. We thought nothing about it except it was a very strange cloud formation. The 19th of April (which was about 3-4 days later) we had the bombing of our Federal Building. Coincidence? I don't know. But like my heading says-this is the first time I have ever told anyone except my husband. I don't know if Sharlene told anyone or not. I'm not sure if any one would believe me or not!

What a cool thread. I personally believe that when some patients are in the dying process and they call out names of dead relatives or friends that it is not always dilusional. I do believe that they are seeing someone help them to the other side. Five years ago, when my mother in law was in her last days in the hospital, she would frequently call out to her grandmother who had been deceased for many years. My MIL was mentally sound, but her physical condition became worse after she had heart surgery. She was very close to her grandmother because she had raised her.

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. :coollook:

Here's my story,

The ER was swamped this day. Ambulance called in with a chest pain, minute later a second chest pain, a minute after that a third, and a fourth. After all four had been brought in a code was called in the ICU. Our code team responded.

Our 3rd chest pain ended up going over to cath lab he was in bad shape. After he was wheeled past me, I looked back into the room. The pt. stood against the shelves looking at the doors behind my back. I looked behind me to see his wife come through the doors. Looking back in the room, there was no one there.

Two minutes later a code was called in the cath lab. He died.

Specializes in Infectious Disease.
BORI-BSNRN said:
Amazing story....Lovely though. Alexillytom, how is your baby boy? Just curious.....

My baby is fine. He's five years old now and he is such a blessing.

Specializes in Oncology, Hospice, Research.

I have to add a quick story here though while not about a ghost, it still gives me goosebumps.

Several years ago while working as a hospice RN we received a referral for a lady dying of breast cancer. I called her for weeks trying to get her to allow me to come to her house and tell her about hospice. She politely refused each time, assured me that she didn't need help, blah, blah, blah. I'd call again and again and get nowhere. Her PCP was frantic and insisted that I go anyway and show up unannounced, which I did. Her husband answered the door and let me come in after I explained my mission and he led me to her bedroom. She started laughing when I came in and introduced myself and said "Oh, it's YOU. I would have let you come out weeks ago if I had known it was YOU!" I was totally confused as I had never laid eyes on her so I ask her how we knew each other. She calmly replied "you don't know me but I know you, I dream about you every night". She then went on to tell me that for weeks she'd been having dreams about me and the husband agreed that she had talked of little else.

Let me tell you that I was FREAKED OUT but I kept my composure until I left and then I was just shaking. The patient was very nonchalant about it and didn't think it at all odd. The end of the story is that I did indeed become her hospice nurse and cared for her for several months until she died. Lovely funny woman that I will remember until I die! :)

Thanks for the thread....it is interesting to hear all of the stories. :)

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