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 Operating Room.

This is the best thread ever! I love the paranormal!

I have read every post in this world-class thread and I figured it's time I chipped in. I'm not a nurse, but this happened in the hospital and most definitely involves a ghost. It took me several years to realize what I had actually seen that night.

One evening around 9 pm my S.O. got struck by a car as we were crossing the street. The hospital had a mixed reputation--it had grown too quickly, was a bit slow and disorganized. Radiology was in the creepy old basement part--it was after 11 pm by then and we were waiting for someone to come do his x-rays. He clearly had some broken bones but they had checked for internal bleeding and such first. This entire area was deserted—long corridors, brightly lit—no sounds, no people. My S.O. was not fully conscious and mostly he was quiet, but he would get restless from time to time because of the pain. After about 30 minutes I thought we had waited quite enough. I didn't want to leave him there in that little room all alone but I decided I had to remind people we were still waiting.

I was traumatized by seeing him get hit--he got knocked 60 feet--but you go into auto-pilot mode, and I wanted to get him sorted. So I started down that long hall, telling him I would find us some help. The main hall had smaller ones T-ing from it, all deserted, all quiet. I got to the reception desk and no one was there. I waited and looked around and then figured I needed to go check on S.O. As I hurried back I saw a child in a wheelchair—she wasn't visible from the main corridor, but was just at the end of one of the intersecting ones. She actually startled me. She might have been 3 at most, and was bundled in a cute robe, holding a blanky too. She had curly brown hair and was wide awake and alert. She had the blanket against one side of her head, like a little pillow, and was sucking her thumb. She seemed in no distress. Her brown eyes were enormous, with long eyelashes.

I smiled at her and said hello; she just looked at me. Then I said, "Who is with you?" She just looked at me, no expression change. I told her I'd be back and went down to check on S.O. He was alert enough to tell me he was having a great deal of pain, so I decided that this time I would find someone for sure. I head back the way I'd come--I was also fuming about this child left by herself. As I approached her this time, though, I saw her blanky had shifted and she had massive tumor on whole left side of her head and part of her face. My auto-pilot self thought, well, she must be in the hospital a lot, she must be used to this. She was very calm and watchful, but not troubled. I went back to reception, finally found a tech and gave him an earful. He was aware of my S.O. and said they were going to come get him in about 5 minutes. Then I told him about the little girl. He gave me a slightly puzzled look. I explained where she was--about 3 corridors down--and he said he'd check.

I walked back and turned to where the girl had been, but the corridor was deserted. I was relieved; someone must have been prepping an exam room or something and had been quite near all along and now she was being taken care of. I paused to listen briefly, but there was nothing.

Almost right behind me came the gurney for S.O. There was a lot going on then--and after, with ortho surgeries and rehab.

I thought about the girl now and then because I was in that hospital often enough and eventually worked there in Onc. I don't know why I thought about her, apart from the strangeness of the situation--it seemed crazy and negligent to leave her there alone. I realized too that she might have been uneasy with me, as a stranger, and recalled that the second time I'd seen her, she did not make eye contact but looked away. I wondered if she might not be able to hear, speak or understand what I said. But it seemed impossible that she should be there alone, in the middle of the night. I hoped I hadn't added to her stress.

Flash forward about 10 years, I'm working in that hospital and happen to pass that spot in Radiology. I suddenly realized it was impossible that a real child had been there. She looked absolutely real but I thought about the size and severity of that mass, how she silently appeared--I would have heard footsteps, I would have heard the wheelchair when she arrived--in fact, there was a kind of profound silence around her, when I remembered it.

I have had a fair amount of "experiences" and that runs in our family, but I had never seen a complete, full figure, completely detailed ghost. I may have passed some and not known it--how would you know? You only figure it out, if at all, by looking at the circumstances and realizing the situation just doesn't "add up."

I have read every post in this world-class thread and I figured it's time I chipped in. I'm not a nurse, but this happened in the hospital and most definitely involves a ghost. It took me several years to realize what I had actually seen that night.

One evening around 9 pm my S.O. got struck by a car as we were crossing the street. The hospital had a mixed reputation--it had grown too quickly, was a bit slow and disorganized. Radiology was in the creepy old basement part--it was after 11 pm by then and we were waiting for someone to come do his x-rays. He clearly had some broken bones but they had checked for internal bleeding and such first. This entire area was deserted—long corridors, brightly lit—no sounds, no people. My S.O. was not fully conscious and mostly he was quiet, but he would get restless from time to time because of the pain. After about 30 minutes I thought we had waited quite enough. I didn't want to leave him there in that little room all alone but I decided I had to remind people we were still waiting.

I was traumatized by seeing him get hit--he got knocked 60 feet--but you go into auto-pilot mode, and I wanted to get him sorted. So I started down that long hall, telling him I would find us some help. The main hall had smaller ones T-ing from it, all deserted, all quiet. I got to the reception desk and no one was there. I waited and looked around and then figured I needed to go check on S.O. As I hurried back I saw a child in a wheelchair—she wasn't visible from the main corridor, but was just at the end of one of the intersecting ones. She actually startled me. She might have been 3 at most, and was bundled in a cute robe, holding a blanky too. She had curly brown hair and was wide awake and alert. She had the blanket against one side of her head, like a little pillow, and was sucking her thumb. She seemed in no distress. Her brown eyes were enormous, with long eyelashes.

I smiled at her and said hello; she just looked at me. Then I said, "Who is with you?" She just looked at me, no expression change. I told her I'd be back and went down to check on S.O. He was alert enough to tell me he was having a great deal of pain, so I decided that this time I would find someone for sure. I head back the way I'd come--I was also fuming about this child left by herself. As I approached her this time, though, I saw her blanky had shifted and she had massive tumor on whole left side of her head and part of her face. My auto-pilot self thought, well, she must be in the hospital a lot, she must be used to this. She was very calm and watchful, but not troubled. I went back to reception, finally found a tech and gave him an earful. He was aware of my S.O. and said they were going to come get him in about 5 minutes. Then I told him about the little girl. He gave me a slightly puzzled look. I explained where she was--about 3 corridors down--and he said he'd check.

I walked back and turned to where the girl had been, but the corridor was deserted. I was relieved; someone must have been prepping an exam room or something and had been quite near all along and now she was being taken care of. I paused to listen briefly, but there was nothing.

Almost right behind me came the gurney for S.O. There was a lot going on then--and after, with ortho surgeries and rehab.

I thought about the girl now and then because I was in that hospital often enough and eventually worked there in Onc. I don't know why I thought about her, apart from the strangeness of the situation--it seemed crazy and negligent to leave her there alone. I realized too that she might have been uneasy with me, as a stranger, and recalled that the second time I'd seen her, she did not make eye contact but looked away. I wondered if she might not be able to hear, speak or understand what I said. But it seemed impossible that she should be there alone, in the middle of the night. I hoped I hadn't added to her stress.

Flash forward about 10 years, I'm working in that hospital and happen to pass that spot in Radiology. I suddenly realized it was impossible that a real child had been there. She looked absolutely real but I thought about the size and severity of that mass, how she silently appeared--I would have heard footsteps, I would have heard the wheelchair when she arrived--in fact, there was a kind of profound silence around her, when I remembered it.

I have had a fair amount of "experiences" and that runs in our family, but I had never seen a complete, full figure, completely detailed ghost. I may have passed some and not known it--how would you know? You only figure it out, if at all, by looking at the circumstances and realizing the situation just doesn't "add up."

This one was REALLY a good story.

This one was REALLY a good story.
Thank you! I also had the pleasure of working at a very old and haunted medical building for 3.5 years, I'll have to dust some of those off. But this one with the child was so very strange, because the incident has stayed with me for decades now but at the time it never, ever occurred to me she wasn't real!

This isn't nursing related, but still pretty amazing!

My father passed away when my daughter was just over 1 year old. The day after he passed I fed her lunch in her high chair then left her there for a moment as I straightened up. I heard her laughing and went in to see what was so funny. She was reaching out to a particular spot in the air, laughing and looking right at something. I knew it was my dad when she saw me and told me, "Pa!".

About a year later we were driving in the car and she was looking out the window and upward very happy and excited. I asked her what was so amazing and she said, "Look! Grandpa's flying!".

Last one: My husband was putting my daughter to bed and she was asking for a stuffed animal so he reached to the bottom of the bottom of the toy box to pick something she hadn't played with in a long time. At the same time I was putting our new baby daughter to sleep in the next room, missing my dad and getting teary. I asked my dad to give me a sign that he was with us and with his granddaughters. The next morning when I woke up my oldest daughter she was sleeping with the giraffe toy my dad have her and played with her with it all the time. It had been over a year since I had seen it! I asked my husband how she got it and he said something made him reach in the toy box for a different stuffie and he grabbed it immediately!

I know my dad is with us :-)

This isn't nursing related, but still pretty amazing!

My father passed away when my daughter was just over 1 year old. The day after he passed I fed her lunch in her high chair then left her there for a moment as I straightened up. I heard her laughing and went in to see what was so funny. She was reaching out to a particular spot in the air, laughing and looking right at something. I knew it was my dad when she saw me and told me, "Pa!".

About a year later we were driving in the car and she was looking out the window and upward very happy and excited. I asked her what was so amazing and she said, "Look! Grandpa's flying!".

Last one: My husband was putting my daughter to bed and she was asking for a stuffed animal so he reached to the bottom of the bottom of the toy box to pick something she hadn't played with in a long time. At the same time I was putting our new baby daughter to sleep in the next room, missing my dad and getting teary. I asked my dad to give me a sign that he was with us and with his granddaughters. The next morning when I woke up my oldest daughter she was sleeping with the giraffe toy my dad have her and played with her with it all the time. It had been over a year since I had seen it! I asked my husband how she got it and he said something made him reach in the toy box for a different stuffie and he grabbed it immediately!

I know my dad is with us :-)

I think the dead are always with us. My Mom has visited me a couple of times in my dreams-she said she was in heaven but she missed me. I also believe they are there when you pass to help you get to the other side.

Thank you! I also had the pleasure of working at a very old and haunted medical building for 3.5 years, I'll have to dust some of those off. But this one with the child was so very strange, because the incident has stayed with me for decades now but at the time it never, ever occurred to me she wasn't real!

You'll have to share them-I love a good ghost story.

I stumbled across this thread a while ago and my goodness, it took quite some time to get through all 113 pages but so worth it!! I have enjoyed everyone's contributions.

So I have 2 stories; one nursing and one non-nursing...

1. Another fellow colleague told me this story and it takes place in our present workplace, a cancer centre. There was a young lad who underwent chemo treatment and his mother would stay with him all the time. There came a point where he was ready to be discharged home. He told his mom to go home and get some rest since he would be leaving the next day and would be alright. He also assured the night staff that he would be fine for the night and that he would be turning in early since he was exhausted from all the discharge teaching/planning/starting to pack his things. He also had pictures displayed in the room but had not yet taken any of those down.

At some point during the night, he cut (or pulled?) his central line and bled out. But before he did, he made sure to flip over all of the pictures in his room so they wouldn't get messed up. When the nursing staff went into his room in the morning, they found him lifeless and there was blood everywhere...some described it as a scene from a horror movie. As you can imagine, all of the nurses were shaken up and they did not admit anyone into that room until some time had passed. The first patient to be admitted into the room complained of seeing a shadow in the corner and the images of turned over pictures against the wall with blood spattered everywhere. The staff dismissed it...at first. But it kept happening over and over to other patients that they had no choice but to call in a priest and bless the room. ?

2. Some time after my grandma died, I went to the cemetery to spend some time there. Problem was, her funeral was in November and I was going to visit in spring time...I had an idea of where her marker was but not exactly. As I was driving to the spot, I just stopped my car at one point...and then for no explainable reason, edged up a little further. I got out and walked around a huge area looking in the grass for her name....finally I found it and it turns out it was in a direct path to where my car was. It was a sunny day...I started talking to nana and got upset at one point. With the sun still shining, it started to rain and lasted for a few mins. I knew then that she could hear what I was saying and was with me.

My family pastor, who had started pastoring our small church when I was a year old, was in hospice after fighting cancer and mets to the brain. The last night his daughters were visiting him, he looked up at the ceiling (they had the overhead lights off, just the bathroom light on and the door open) and he smiled and spoke the only words he said the entire time in hospice: "I'm ready Jesus!" Then he asked his daughters if they saw the light and wasn't it pretty. He closed his eyes, his daughters left, and he went peacefully in his sleep. That was the first night he didn't have any visitors--he wanted to go alone.

My grandfather was always humming some strange song that no one else knew. He'd hum it all the time, when he was reading or watching TV, and if you asked him about it he'd look at you funny as if you were making things up; he just didn't realize he did it so much. He was in the hospital but was starting to make a recovery and I had to go out of state for a high school band trip--Tournament of Roses parade, so not exactly something I could skip. I was getting ready in the bathroom one morning, so I was all alone, and I HEARD him humming. It was so distinct that I stopped what I was doing and even peeked out into the hotel room, but my roommates were not in there either. I glanced at the clock and noted the time and what time it was back home (3 hour time difference). When I got back home from the trip, my parents picked me up at the airport and as soon as we got home, they told me my grandfather had died while I was gone. I started crying and asked when, and they told me--it was the exact day and time that I had heard him humming. He knew I was gone and came to say goodbye when he was leaving this earthly place for his eternal home. That was 22 years ago and I still remember it as clear as a bell--I've got goosebumps just recalling the story now!

It has been reported that some victims of torture, during the act, would retreat into a fantasy world from which they could not wake up. In this catatonic state, the victim lived in a world just like their normal one, except they weren’t being tortured. The only way that they realized they needed to wake up was a note they found in their fantasy world. It would tell them about their condition, and tell them to wake up. Even then, it would often take months until they were ready to discard their fantasy world and PLEASE WAKE UP

Specializes in Cardiac, CVICU.

When I worked on tele, we had one room that the call light would turn on randomly even if we didn't have a patient. The staff said there was a ghost haunting that bed. :dead:

The ghost was obviously upset because he didn't receive his pain medication on time or wanted to use the restroom right then. He had just always been confrontational.

:)

I've enjoyed reading this thread so much! Everyone has great stories.

I work in an LTACH that used to be a general hospital in the city. The LTACH bought out some floors, but parts of the hospital remain abandoned. During my lunch break I sometimes would wander through the abandoned parts: old OR suites, ICUs, nurses stations, all with the fixtures ripped out and giant cockroaches scurrying everywhere. Never saw a ghost but it was creepy nonetheless. This hospital used to host one of the city's two burn centers. My unit used to be the step-down unit for the burn ICU. Our fire alarms go off ALL THE TIME FOR NO REASON. Sometimes more than once per day. Several times a week. It often happens around 0930. The entire building has a code red but there's never any explainable reason.

Another time I was at the nurse's station and we heard the bell in the elevator ringing. Someone was yelling "Help!" and we heard pounding. We called security to tell them someone was stuck in the elevator. I then walked over to the elevator doors and was shouting to the person to try to stay calm and help was on the way. She just kept yelling for help, banging, and ringing the bell. Security called the nurses station to say all of the elevators were working and they didn't find anyone stuck. At this moment, whoever was in the elevator was suddenly quiet.

A few times I have been on the elevator and for no reason it went to the 5th floor. The 5th floor is totally unoccupied, but used to be a hospice unit. I would be going up from the ground floor and the only button lit up would be 3. But the elevator would pass my floor, go to 5th, open the door.... no one there. I never was brave enough to step foot onto the 5th floor.

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