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...

Not a ghost story or nursing related, but a parental isntinct story: When I first started working nights at a hospital almost 5 years ago I had two daughters at the time, 2 1/2 and 1. We were living in a 2nd story condo and my girls share a bedroom with a window. My husband, who has always been a much stronger parent than I, was in charge of bedtime because he never wavered when the kids yelled and fussed. He was very firm about bedtime and once the door to the bedroom closed, he never ever ever opened it until morning.

One night I was at work and I called my husband to see how the night was going.

"You'll never believe what just happened." he said. "I was at my computer playing a game and you know how sometimes your imagination wanders? Well I was overcome by a vision in my mind of firetrucks and ambulances and emergency vehicles coming to the house and I just had a strange feeling about the kids falling out the window. I felt like I had to check on the girls and sure enough the girls had somehow gotten the window open and were throwing things out the window."

During this time my oldest daughter was really into Peter Pan and I could easily have seen her creating some pretending game with the younger one where they fly out the window off to Neverland. When I got home from work that morning I was walking under their window on my way from the car to the door and on the bush were tiny little girl socks that they had been throwing out the window. It gave me chills seeing how easily they could have falled. I don't know what it was that prompted my husband to make an exception to his "closed door policy" and check on the girls but I am so grateful every day. There are so many things in this world that we can't explain. Love this thread...

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

I worked with a girl years ago who was thinking of going into nursing training who told me this story.

Her Dad (who had died when she was young) had been in the army & they moved around a lot. Well they had moved to a new army base. She went into to her new room to start unpacking & 2 get organised. Just as she went to hit the light switch, she felt a hand grab her around the wrist so she screamed, & coulnd't shake off this hand as it was holding her tightly. Her Mum came running in & turned on the light. Well to their amazement, this girl had a bruise of what appeared to be finger marks around her wrist & we all know it takes a while for bruises to appear. She had had no other injuries or accidents to account for the bruises. Other strange things happened when they were there as well, blankets would be repeatedly pulled off the bed at night when no-one was there, stuff moved around when no-one was there, hearing voices and laughter etc.

After her Dad died, she was left his army trunk that used to hold all his stuff when he was moving around. Well she used to be out (lived on her own) and the trunk would be open sometimes - it had a lock with a key in it, and some of her Dad's things would appear in there that had been put away in storage. No-one had access to her unit at the time. There also used to be black hand marks on the access hatch to the roof, that hadn't been there the day before. She thought she was being burgled, but nothing was ever missing and forensic dusting showed no prints at all. It was so bizarre, she never could explain it. She thought maybe it was her Dad's way of looking over her and letting her know he was still around.

Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho, Acute Care Rehab.
I was working in the nicu when we had a threat of a tornado. Some Nurses got pulled to go to a sister hospital in town to assist in the disaster plan. When all was over one of the nurses returned with this story: She was assissting the nurses in giving some meds before pulling all into the hallways. Every pt she went to said they already had their meds from that nice nurse in the white uniform and hat. She realized after she left that its been awhile since a nurse has worn a hat. That story revealed the urban ledgen of Nurse Betty. Story goes she had an affair with a married md, became pregnant then agreed to allow him to perform an abortion on her on the 2nd floor OR room.She died and he went to jail. She never left the hospital and was seen frequently. The local newspaper would do an article of her every year around halloween on her sightings. The hospital has since been replaced with college dorms. Hmmmm i wonder if any students have seen her?[/QUO

Wow, a ghost that can physically give meds, that's pretty good!

I guess they can be very useful too...:)

I love stories like these. Keep em coming :)

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

Originally Posted by Jdon

I was working in the nicu when we had a threat of a tornado. Some Nurses got pulled to go to a sister hospital in town to assist in the disaster plan. When all was over one of the nurses returned with this story: She was assissting the nurses in giving some meds before pulling all into the hallways. Every pt she went to said they already had their meds from that nice nurse in the white uniform and hat. She realized after she left that its been awhile since a nurse has worn a hat. That story revealed the urban ledgen of Nurse Betty. Story goes she had an affair with a married md, became pregnant then agreed to allow him to perform an abortion on her on the 2nd floor OR room.She died and he went to jail. She never left the hospital and was seen frequently. The local newspaper would do an article of her every year around halloween on her sightings. The hospital has since been replaced with college dorms. Hmmmm i wonder if any students have seen her?[/QUO

Wow, a ghost that can physically give meds, that's pretty good!

Is this her?

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

This isn't a nursing ghost story, though I have always wanted to be a nurse since I was 4 years old.

My Mum and her Mum were very spiritual. My grandmother was a protestant, she was also 'fey', an old Scottish term for seeing the future and knowing things. Anyway my Mum has some of this ability and so do I, but not as strong.

My Mum loved her Tarot cards and used to do seances when we were young. I wouldn't do it now, but back then, I thought it was just a harmless way to pass a hot night inside or a rainy, cold night. My Mum had quite often had the spirits of dead relatives 'visit' during a seance, where the room would sometimes get cold, or the lights would dim. My Mum could always see dark shapes and outlines all the time as well (I don't remember seeing anything like that), and these spirits would tell her things only she knew.

Well one night we were doing a seance, and we used a glass on a table surrounded by all the letters of the alphabet, and all the numbers from 1-0. My Mum had asked this spirit that was there Who are you? and the glass eventually moved to the letters and spelled out 'devil'! Well we were all shocked, and my Mum was saying something like go away you're not welcome here, and this glass spun around the table ON IT'S OWN multiple times, then shot towards the brick wall and just shattered! Well my older brother and his mates were there, one of his friends was religious (he was not doing the seance), and he always wore a big cross around his neck. He freaked out and held up the cross to the ceiling, and was yelling out: "Begone ye devil!!" (I remember the words he used were really old-fashioned), and he was chanting for Jesus to protect us! Outside just when he was chanting still, there was this MASSIVE crack of thunder and this rain (it had been a still, quiet night) just HURTLED down from the heavens!

After that my Mum either stopped the seances or did them less and less, and my brother's friend rarely came over, but we were all shaken up after that night. I'm sure I didn't sleep that night.

I have other stories worse than this if anyone wants to know.

Specializes in Lactation.
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I have other stories worse than this if anyone wants to know.

You have to share now that you teased us!! :lol2:

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

OK I just boiled the kettle to make a cup of coffee, but that can wait!

My brother's friend Andrew (who is dead now), told my Mum and me this story years ago (I remembered some of these because I have practically been reading this thread all day long).

His Mum used to do seances as well, and using the Wigi board (dunno how that is spelled), but it was a popular past time in the 70's when I was young.

Anyway he told us they were all sitting down at the table using the glass and summoning these spirits, when the chairs they were sitting on ACTUALLY levitated in the air - with them sitting on them still! and they whirled around the table. My brother's friend said it was the most terrifying experience of his life. Of course they jumped off the chairs and ran, but my brother's friend Andrew looked back and all these empty chairs were whirling around the table, and the table had levitated into the air as well! I can't remember if they said any chants at all, but I do remember him saying something like they took the furniture after that to the local tip, or burned it out the back.

I thought this story was all a big hoo ha, until the glass shattering thing happened in Mum's house, now I'm inclined to believe it!!

I'm gonna go have my coffee now but I'm sure I will rememeber some more stories.

I believe those boards attract the devil and evil spirits. Your stories just reaffirmed that.

::shivers::

Specializes in M/S, ICU, ICP.

i am enjoying this entire thread. i recall some ghost stories as well once i started reading, but my weirdest thing is right before someone dies i will smell this sent that reminds me of funeral home flowers.

usually within the next day or two someone i know dies or if its on a patient hallway, one of the patients will go sour and end up coding and dying. it is the weirdest thing. it used to creep me out but after so many years i just acknowledge it and keep my guard up and on ready.

i love reading these stories, but i have difficulty believing in the whole paranormal thing. but, i have the highest respect for nurses for all that they do for humanity. therefore, it almost seems like a sin to doubt or tout a logical explanation. so i’ll just mosey along and keep on reading.

i honestly don’t see how one cannot become emotionally involved in such a field. so i lift my glass high, and i toast all nurses, caregivers and providers in hospitals, hospices and private care facilities around the world. here’s to you – thank you.

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