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...

Specializes in Emergency Department.
:saint:I posted this story in another type of thread a while back. I think of this a little more as a story of undying love rather than a ghost story but I do think it fits here. Last year, I cared for a 3 year old child who had been in a MVA with her mother and older sister. Unfortunately, mom died in the accident. The older sister broke an arm and was admitted to the Peds unit for a night or two with an ORIF. The 3 year old had multiple injuries including two broken femurs, a broken arm and more that I can't remember off the top of my head. She was initially in the PICU so never got to be with her sister after the accident. I cared for this little girl when she was transferred to Peds. Now she was almost always alone. She had not yet seen her sister and her father I assume was busy with funeral arrangements etc. This child had not even been informed of her mother's death. She was a very stoic child, would never cry despite being in obvious pain I'm sure. She never showed ANY expression of emotion, wouldn't talk to ANY of the staff, wouldn't eat or drink even when we brought her some of her favorite foods. She just broke my heart. I would park my chair and portable computer in front of her room at night when things would settle down just in case I did hear her cry or anything. One night I heard her quiet voice starting to talk, in obvious conversation. She was saying "Mommy, I'm coming too now? Mommy, why can't I go too? ". I got such chills! I walked into the room and that little baby was wide awake, holding her arms out as if in a hug and focusing her eyes on a spot in front of her face. I am SURE that her mother was in there at that moment, being with her baby just as she would have in life. I cried the whole drive home that morning, thinking of the terrified child being comforted by her literal angel of a mother. I just wonder, with her undeniably seeing her mom there in the room that night, did she then know that mommy was gone from this earth?

That actually made me cry. :crying2: I have a three-year-old little girl, and I can so understand that mom wanting to be there, comforting her! Now I have to go hug mine, even though she's sleeping.

God bless you for what you do, Christa. It's so hard for me to work with peds because it seems like they all have my children's faces; it takes a very special person to do what you do.

my little experience would be when I was filling the water jugs on midnights I happened to glance at the window across from me and I swore I saw the reflection of someone sitting in the resident's dining area, and of course when I looked back nothing was there...spooky!

Specializes in Psychiatry.

200+ posts to this thread - it's a strange world. A few good nursing ghost stories under 'Articles'. 'Carry Me Across' is a goofy ghost story I submitted. Not as spooky as some of the stories on this thread, though. You people are weird.

Specializes in ICU.

I heard an interesting story a few weeks ago. Part of the hospital has been rebuilt and faces on to our unit. Nurse doing something near the window looks across and sees two people moving about in one of the clinic rooms (it's after hours and clinic is shut). She called a colleague over who also saw these two people. They call security who go over and check out the room; nobody there. A while later the nurses again see these two people moving around so ... they call security. This time the security guys split up - one stands with the nurses while the other one went over to the clinic to check again.

The scary part of this is that the security guys were talking on the radio. The one in the clinic states that the room is empty, but the other security guard standing in our unit with the two nurses could actually see these two people, standing right beside the security guard while he was talking... :eek::eek::eek::eek:

We had a patient, chronic CHFer, always on the call button, hated being on fluid restrictions. you know the type: the nurses have to take turns during the shift answering the call button so the primary can actually do other work.

And this was a frequent flier cause he was very chronic, very borderline, and the hospital was the only place he wouldn't fluid overload.

I work 7p-7a. He died about 8pm. Oh the look on his face, like, "how could you let me die!" - Like it was our fault.

Anyway, family came and gone by 9pm, funeral home gone at 930pm.

About 10pm, the call button starts going off. I was there - call button going off every 5 minutes.

One of the nurses was a very spiritual girl. At about 2am, after like 4 HOURS OF THIS, nurse Mary snaps, 'Enough!'

She walks down to the room, and, practically screams into the empty room, "Mr X, you have died. You can't be in here bothering us anymore. Move along. In the name of Jesus, I'm exorcising you from this plane of existence. Go to the light and be happy!"

And I kid you not, the call button stopped going off then and there.

~faith,

Timothy.

Awesome, too bad she didn't do it earlier........

More stories please!! It's taken me over a month to finish this thread but I'm addicted! In the mean time I'll add my story... and maybe someone can help me understand what/who it was that I experienced? It isn't a nursing story because I'm still a student, but non the less to me a terrifying experience.

At the time I was still living at home, in college, and working. Life felt pretty fast paced. Anyhow, I was having an earlier night than normal and was actually in bed by 10 pm. I had just gotten into bed, lights out but wasn't asleep yet. In fact, my eyes were still open I was just laying in bed thinking about my day. All of the sudden I felt and absolutely without a doubt knew that I wasn't alone. The feeling of helplessness and utter terror came over me. Suddenly I couldnt move and felt pressure over my wrists, ankles, and chest. I couldn't move, since it was dark in my room (black out shades) I couldn't see any outline, just darkness. I wanted to scream and couldn't. Absolutely nothing would come out. I was praying in my heart for it to end all the while trying to scream. Suddenly I was able too, and the gripping pressure around my wrists and ankles release and I could finally scream. I ran out of bed flipped on the light an no one was there. It felt like someone, or more than just one someone was pinning me down.

I've heard of sleep paralysis. Which is the closest thing I've found to my experience. The only issue I have with that explanation is that I was awake, fully thinking about the day I had just had.

Any how that's my story!! Any thoughts would be awesome, and PLEASE more stories! :D:redpinkhe:heartbeat

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

mrsecookie, are you SURE you weren't asleep? I've had nightmares like that where I could have sworn that I was awake - I could smell, see lights from the street, everything seemed normal - but I got that heavy feeling like someone was holding me down and I have actually managed to pull myself out of a very, very deep sleep.

My gf used to get this as well when she was younger & she reckons she was awake, but it disappeared as she got older. Maybe it's some medical condition of the limbs/muscles we haven't discovered yet? The human body is a strange and scary thing sometimes!

Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.
More stories please!! It's taken me over a month to finish this thread but I'm addicted! In the mean time I'll add my story... and maybe someone can help me understand what/who it was that I experienced? It isn't a nursing story because I'm still a student, but non the less to me a terrifying experience.

At the time I was still living at home, in college, and working. Life felt pretty fast paced. Anyhow, I was having an earlier night than normal and was actually in bed by 10 pm. I had just gotten into bed, lights out but wasn't asleep yet. In fact, my eyes were still open I was just laying in bed thinking about my day. All of the sudden I felt and absolutely without a doubt knew that I wasn't alone. The feeling of helplessness and utter terror came over me. Suddenly I couldnt move and felt pressure over my wrists, ankles, and chest. I couldn't move, since it was dark in my room (black out shades) I couldn't see any outline, just darkness. I wanted to scream and couldn't. Absolutely nothing would come out. I was praying in my heart for it to end all the while trying to scream. Suddenly I was able too, and the gripping pressure around my wrists and ankles release and I could finally scream. I ran out of bed flipped on the light an no one was there. It felt like someone, or more than just one someone was pinning me down.

I've heard of sleep paralysis. Which is the closest thing I've found to my experience. The only issue I have with that explanation is that I was awake, fully thinking about the day I had just had.

Any how that's my story!! Any thoughts would be awesome, and PLEASE more stories! :D:redpinkhe:heartbeat

This happened to me once, at about age 12. It was terrifying. Check out this link: http://paranormal.about.com/od/humanenigmas/a/Old-Hag-Syndrome.htm

Specializes in LTC, Acute care.

Some scary stories on this page! :uhoh21::uhoh21::uhoh21::uhoh21:

I like...

I am a Director of Nursing in Virginia...I have worked in several ltc facilities and have noted some of the SAME occurrences in different buildings. I was wondering if any of you could relate to any of these as well?

* the children - at least half of all of my residents have seen and talk about the children

*call lights going on and off in certain rooms for no reason

*Residents identifying an "upstairs and downstairs" even though all of my facilities have been 1 floor

*residents' voices changing and telling you things such as "DO not be afraid"

*residents who are actively dying and turn their heads slowly to look at you with this look I cannot describe but send chills up your spine

*the woman in white

*Vital signs machines, oxygen concentrators not working in an end of life or acute situation

*residents seeing "the man" or "the dog".

Any of these things could absolutely be chalked up to hallucinations or dementia, HOWEVER in so many residents in different places?? Or when you have a string of actively dying patients in the building - everything going wrong.....

Has anyone experienced any of these before or can anyone perhaps shed some light on these things for me? Ive been doing this for 20 years and its always the same.

Specializes in Geriatrics.

When I worked as a CNA in Kansas, the facility where I worked at had a nurse die of a heart attack several years previously. So it was always just a little creepy to be working 3-11 and 11-7! The best one that I remember, tho, happened after a resident died. We would often find the door either opened or closed, the opposite of how we had left it!! One day the CMA went to go close the door, and she felt a DISTINCT, UNMISTAKABLE cold chill go over her right shoulder!! (Always open the window before they pass away, is what I have heard):chair:

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

IMHO, I have learned that it could be fallen angels or demons if you will that were cast down to earth when the arcangel Lucifer was cast down to earth, and according to the Bible, 1/3 of the angels followed him and became demons when he became Satan or the master deciever, liar and accuser of us all. I have learned through Bible study that they are capable of causing a lot of this stuff.

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