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...

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

I'm admittedly bumping the thread in hopes of getting to 200 pages, but nevertheless . . .

My mother passed nearly two years ago after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. Her dying was a huge relief to me, as I'm sure any child of an Alzheimer's patient can understand even if not agree. Once she was gone, I realized that I could stop thinking of her as she was in the year or two before her death, but remember her as she was before the disease stole all of her memories.

At the funeral, Mom didn't look like herself in the casket. She didn't look like the woman she had been before Alzheimer's, she didn't look like she did just prior to her death. She didn't look like anyone I knew. I was having a hard time with that, kinda wondering in the back of my mind if they had the right body or something. The minister of her long-time church was new and didn't know my mother, had never met me. That wasn't helpful. Just before the service was to start, the funeral director ushered my the immediate family into the "executive meeting room", a room where my mother had frequently attended meetings in her various roles as church elder, church secretary, president of the ladies circle, etc. For just a moment, as we walked into the room, I saw Mother seated at the head of the table, preparing to call a meeting to order. I quickly looked around to see if anyone else had seen what I saw. Clearly, none of my family had, but the funeral director caught my eye and nodded.

Well as this post is nearing 200 pages, I figured I would add another story from my experiences. I currently work in a small hospital that is under going renovation. I have experienced quite a few things since coming to work here several years ago. I once was walking off the floor and saw the reflection of a lady in window on the door to the manager's office. She had short dark hair, and was wearing a white top and dark pants. I stopped and turned because in order for me to see her reflection, I would have had to pass right by her. There was no one else in the hall and yet she was reflected in the glass on the door. (It has blinds and they were closed at the time.) Most of us at one time or another have been sitting at the computer charting and felt someone walk up behind us and peer over our shoulder. This is particularly creepy feeling. And the pantry where the patient snacks, drinks and ice machine are located is another area of activity. It is locked by cipher lock and located right behind our station. We hear everytime someone goes in and out. I have walked in there many times and found all the cabinets and drawers wide open. I close them and return a few minutes later to the same thing. And I know that there has been no one else in there. It is very strange but we are all kind of used to it.

Such wonderfully creepy stories.I am three months from being in nursing school,but I have many ghosts that I have seen prior to that.I wish I could take all of the best stories from this thread and make a book.That would be a best seller.

I've got a good one...

This weekend my girlfriend invited one of her former coworkers over for lunch. I'll call my girlfriend's former coworker "Evie." As I've posted before, my girlfriend is a nurse, and of course most of her friends are nurses. The subject over lunch turned to ghost stories.

Evie works as a nurse in a psychiatric facility. Whether this incident took place there or not, I don't know, but it occurred at a time when Evie was a nurse tasked with watching the patients on a certain floor, or section of a floor. It's important to note that at this facility the patients apparently each had a phone in their room. The patients were also allowed to smoke (I'm guessing with plenty of restrictions). We were busy eating and talking, and the story got interrupted several times, so it's not like I was taking notes or asking for clarification of details.

There was an old lady on the floor who smoked. She would smoke in her room--either with or without permission I'm not sure.

As Evie tells it, during another shift, this old lady had accidentally caught herself on fire while smoking in her room and had died of her injuries. Of course all the usual investigations and disciplinary actions occurred so I won't go into detail about any of that. Evie's long career and credentials make me believe her story.

Subsequently, Evie told us that the lady's room and that entire area of the ward always gave her a feeling of being unsafe. Even when the lady's room was empty, Evie claimed she could occasionally see a "shadow" moving around in the area. Of course, every time she went to investigate there was no one there.

Evie claimed that one day she entered the room where the lady had died, and saw the phone receiver floating above the rest of the phone! She motioned the "tech" as she called him to come over and put the phone back on the hook. Evie was too frightened to do it herself.

Evie was so shook up she took the matter to her bosses, who didn't necessarily believe her story but agreed that if she felt the environment was unsafe they would have the room blessed. Her status at the facility was sufficient that they humored her request as an HR matter without regard to any religious overtones. After the blessing Evie said the "mood" in the room was totally different from then on.

There were no further incidents.

Been a Nurse over 10 years (7 years as an STNA before that) and I have had TONS Of experiences. But, my most profound was a cpl years ago, my Fave Resident (I work in nursing home, it's my passion) passed away. We became very close during her stay with my facility and even exchanged birthday cards and gifts (yea, not suppose to do that, but I loved this lady and her daughter). Well, the day she passed was an extremely emotional one for me as I was the one that had to pronounce her and what not. Well, she passed at 5:57pm and I have a thing that the window needs opened right away to allow the spirit to leave. Sadly, the window did not get opened right away. Anuway, I finish up my shift and leave about 11:20pm. I lived about 25 minutes from work and it's all expressway. About half way home, coming up yo a split in the eway (could go east or west on the next connecting expressway), my brakes go ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR! I am coming around the bend and going about 50 (let of the gas from about 65). I have NO BRAKES! I'm freaking out because my exit is the next exit and there is a stop light at the top of the exit ramp and it's a main road and is ALWAYS busy. Well, miracles happen and as I let off the gas again on the ramp (it's going up hill so I am slowing down), I realize I will not be slow enough to check for traffic AND turn left (have to turn, can't even go straight across). So, crazily, I try the brakes and OMG, they worked! I stopped, and was able to safely turn left. I have 1 more stop and right turn before my street. I am able to stop and turn right on the next street and also safely turn left onto my street and even pull in my driveway. I get out and run in to get my husband and tell him about what happened. He comes out and checks my brakes, they go all the way to the floor and there are NO BRAKES again. He pops the hood, no brake fluid. Looks umderneath, no puddle of fluid (which proved it was leaked out BEFORE pulling in my drive) and my drivers side brake line was rusted and broken in half. I'm in shock I made it home. Well, next day, my mechanic comes and tells me there is no way I stopped and how did i get home. I tell him how they started working again at the exit ramp and he says there is no way. Anyway, I post on FB about it and Beryl (that was my Resident that passed away), her daughter Christina messaged me and asked if I was ok and she said the weirdest thing was before I came to work the day before, Meryl told her she had to see me that day because she needed to make sure I made it home. Chris chopped it up to confusion from being at the end because why would Beryl wanna see me at work to make sure I made it home. Well, we decided she wanted to see me one last time and she made sure I made it home. I still thank Beryl all the time for me being here today. I love her and miss her and think of her often. I believe the window didn't get opened right away so her spirit could stay with me and keep me safe that night... and one more crazy part was, after the brakes went out, I cracked open my driver side window a cpl inches so I could listen to the car (something I have always done when I think there is a problem with my car) and I believe once she made sure my brakes would work enough to get me home, her spirit went on it's way. My most memorable spiritual moment of my Nursing career which is over 17 years now. I do have many other incidents, but this is the most important. Maybe soon I'll share the others. This is my first time ever posting.

I've been a travel nurse for 20+ years and most facilities have some disturbing occurrence. Currently I'm at a hospice facility and occasionally I get a feeling that I'm not alone, although I've never 'knowingly' seen an apparition. However....

I do have an experience. My patient was a young woman dying of cancer and getting very close, her husband had a habit of leaving his shoes outside the door. Noticing them there I started in to talk with him and the door was slowly opening a little. As I went in the husband was at bedside and seeing me said "I think she's gone" and I concluded that she had. The husband immediately left, and I called the funeral home for transport. Meanwhile, I had past the room twice and the door was standing open of which I closed it on both occasions (this room dosen't have that tendency- normally).

Later, I asked the cna why she had left the door open has we had visitors there for other patients. She said that she too had closed it and thought I had left the door open. I had assumed the husband had been opening the door when I went in to speak with him, but now realizing he was about fifteen feet away by the bed. This has not reoccurred, so strange. I do believe the woman's spirit wanted the door open, after the body was gone it didn't seem to matter. What do you think?

While reading all of these stories, it go me thinking about how I really don't want to leave any "energy" behind. I don't want to haunt my loved ones or anyone else for that matter! Nevertheless, I love stories of the supernatural! This is definitely one of my favorite threads. I could have finished reading it all in less than the several months it took, but I didn't want the stories to end. Please keep them coming people :D

Specializes in Hospital medicine; NP precepting; staff education.

I teased my husband in the past that I would haunt him. But now that I've lost loved ones that jab lost its impact.

I have since told him that if I predecease him to use my remains in a horticultural manner, like embedded in a plant. He said it sounds nice because we adore working in the yard together, but if the tree died it would be like losing me all over again.

All_night said:
... I love stories of the supernatural! This is definitely one of my favorite threads. I could have finished reading it all in less than the several months it took, but I didn't want the stories to end. Please keep them coming people :D

I have had many experiences with "ghosts" (if you can call them that), or spirits, that are not "nursing" related, and so I haven't posted any more of them on this thread because I don't want to hijack this into a generic "ghost" story thread. But yes, I always find such tales fascinating, too. Some of my hair-raising experiences are the only reason I believe such things: I've been there first-hand!

I occasionally prod my girlfriend to tell all her nursing ghost stories, but she's really skittish about being afraid to violate her confidentiality rules, so I may not get many more out of her.

While reading all of these stories, it go me thinking about how I really don't want to leave any "energy" behind. I don't want to haunt my loved ones or anyone else for that matter

I wouldn't mind freaking a few people out with my impish residual energy... but I'd like to move on after I've had my fun!

On another note, several months ago a well-loved long term client had passed away. Her daughters stopped by our building to tell us "thank you". While I was giving hugs and conversing with the daughters, I felt fine... at first.

I began feeling a heavy presence. I mean, it was heavy. This feeling was peculiar and lasted several minutes after the daughters had left. At one point, I even felt lightheaded and tingly as I walked alone down our hallway past a particular spot the client hung out in often. The hairs on my arms were standing on end! I immediately thought it was our deceased client. I know... I know...

No, I didn't see anything crazy but I can only emphasize this feeling like our former client was there. I worked with another gal who is rather "sensitive" and she was eager to tell me she felt the same thing. We think the daughters "brought" their mom with them when they came to visit.

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Not a ghost story per se, or maybe it is. In either case it's not creepy but comforting.

My uncle died last year after a 3-yr battle with colon CA. He never had any kids so my cousin and I were really close to him. He spoiled us rotten. Anyway, he went into hospice in May of last year and died close to 3mo later. I was in a review class for the FNP certification exam the day he died; I got the phone call before leaving my hotel room. He had died just a few minutes before 4am.

I called my cousin and told her that he'd died early in the AM, and she responded, "Well, that explains the dream I had about him early this morning. I dreamed I was at the house [my grandma's house where all of us grew up, including my uncle] and he was there. He was marching in a parade in the livingroom and he was surrounded by light. He turned to me and his face looked just like it did when he was in his 20s, and when he turned to me he smiled his million-dollar smile. Then he waved to me and turned to walk away."

My cousin, my grandma, and I believe to this day that it was him coming back to let us know that he was leaving but that he was happy and alright. I am not a woo-woo kind of person, but I don't have any other explanation for it.

Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

Allow me to begin by saying that, I'm not a superstitious person nor I believe in ghosts. With that being said, right after my graduation and receiving my license I began to work at the same hospital where I did my clinical at. At this level, I managed to work the night-shift from 11pm to 7am once a month, one night during report I was told that we had one room empty which was 209 a private room. At around 2:30am, as I was making my rounds the call button came on loud and clear from room 209. Needless to say, I went to investigate since it shouldn't have been occupied, and as I entered the room the light from the street allow me to see without turning on the lights, that's when I saw a man sitting on the bed reading a book. Naturally, I ask did he call for a nurse and why was he reading in the dark? but he didn't respond, so I went for the light switch and looked back to request an answer from this pt. but my heart stood still for a second, as I realize there wasn't anyone there!!!

Unquestionably, I never brought it up during my report nor I mentioned it to anyone, not even to my coworker who was working on the other side of the floor. Nonetheless, the rest of my shift went on without any major events.

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