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...

[Selina Pait]

On 7/31/2018 at 5:57 PM, DocWorkaday said:

I hope the mods here don't mind if I relate a ghost story that's not directly "nursing related" other than the fact that my girlfriend is a nurse and I talked her into taking one of those paid ghost tours.

Okay, so far?

Back in 2013 when I first started dating her we got onto the subject of her nursing ghost stories before I ever discovered this thread. Of course her confidentiality requirements don't allow her to discuss much that is work-related, but she was able to tell me enough that it stoked my desire to fulfill one of the items on my bucket list: to take a real ghost tour with authentic ghost investigators just like on the TV shows.

So, in this town there is an old hotel that dates from the Old West. It's been a hotel, a bank, a brothel, and other things during its history. It's a historic landmark and a local ghost investigator society is allowed to charge customers to accompany them on a genuine ghost investigation. So I paid the money and we showed up for the "tour".

It's important to note that one of my trademarks is that I wear an Australian slouch hat (looks like the classic movie green safari hat with puggarree). On this particular evening, the sun had gone down and I decided to leave it in the car for the ghost tour. To most people it looks like a "green cowboy hat" if you're not familiar with the old Tarzan movies. I was the only one in the group to wear such a hat to the tour, even though I left it in the car. This will become significant in a while, you'll see.

During the ghost tour, we were invited to silently walk through some of the corridors on the ground floor of the hotel. I was born with a "gift." I can walk into a haunted building and sense if there is an evil presence there. While walking in one of the corridors, I definitely felt the presence of something totally evil that did not want us there. Others in the group noticed it too.

As the evening progressed, the ghost investigators did the usual "parlor trick" of placing a flashlight on a table with the head mostly unscrewed, so that the "spirits" are supposed to answer questions by turning the flashlight on and off. They did this through several questions. At one point, they tried to contact the spirit of a famous local murder victim. The murder was never "officially" solved, although a book was written by a man who claimed to have solved the murder. He claimed that a man who lived with his mother was the killer and the investigators had totally missed it. So at one point during the "contact" session with this murder victim, members of the audience were allowed to ask the spirit of the deceased girl some questions. Most asked about the political intrigue surrounding the murder, etc. When it became my turn to ask, I asked if she had been murdered by the the guy with the two dogs who lived with his mother. The flashlight flashed once for "yes". This is something that probably could not have been faked because unless you've read that author's book you would never believe the murderer was someone other than the people named in the official narrative. Had the ghost hunters somehow been able to fake the answer to that question, they almost certainly would have had the flashlight flash two times for "no."

The investigators also made it a point to tell us that the spirits in that hotel like to mess with electronic devices. Several just wouldn't work right during the tour. This will become significant toward the end of my story.

The ghost investigators contacted the spirit of a little girl who made a toy move. At one point a flashlight left in an adjacent room turned on so brightly that it lit up the adjacent room like a huge spotlight was turned on! We went back into that room and there was the lowly Maglite sitting on the table. No spotlight. When people started asking the child ghost questions like, "What's it like on the other side?", the spirit suddenly shut up and didn't want to talk anymore. Can't reveal there's a Heaven and Hell, kid, is that the deal?

As we went upstairs, no one was left on the ground floor, and yet we saw one of the flashlights turn on and stay on as we ascended the stairs.

On the top floor, the ghost hunters contacted a prostitute that had lived in the hotel. As they asked the spirit questions, several women felt their hair getting brushed by something invisible. The ghost hunters just laughed, and said, "She doesn't like women for some reason." At this point they asked the spirit, "Is there any man in this room you do like?" The spirit answered audibly through one of those spirit boxes, "COW...BOOOOOYYYYYEEEEEEEE." Remember I had left my safari hat in the car, and how I had described it as looking like a green cowboy hat to a lot of people?

There were several more minor things like cold spots and more women getting their hair brushed, but eventually the evening ended and my girlfriend and I went to our separate homes.

Days later, my girlfriend frantically called me one afternoon to ask if I had experienced anything strange at my house. I said, "No, why?" She explained that a radio she left in her daughter's room had turned on spontaneously while her daughter was in school. Upon inspecting the radio, we found that the alarm was turned off, and the switch was set to "manual", meaning you had to move it to the on position with your hand.

A few nights later, as I was lying in bed, I was awakened by the sound of the carbon monoxide alarm going off. Note that this was the time of year when it was still too warm to have the furnace on. There should have been no source of carbon monoxide anywhere in the house. Later that night, I felt the same evil presence above my bed that I had felt in that hallway of the old hotel. I saw what looked like an indistinct black shape moving across the ceiling. Quickly I shouted at it, "In the name of Jesus Christ you were not invited into this house and I command you to leave."

Neither my girlfriend or I have had another incident, but we don't go on ghost tours anymore, either.

I hope you post more of your stories of what you have experienced. I really enjoy reading your post.

[Kathy in Wonderland]

On 6/13/2005 at 8:48 PM, ZASHAGALKA said:

Not a spooky story but a lonely ghost.

One of the rooms, if it was being used regularly, fine. no problems. But, since it was a room at the end of the hall, it was used for 'storage' lots of times.

If a couple of weeks went by and there were no patients/activity in the room, the call light would start going off, 4-5 times a shift. But. If you went into the room and turned on the TV, the call light wouldn't go off anymore.

So, needless to say, when the room was being used for storage, the tv was always on w/ the volume down low.

~faith,

Timothy.

Another good one lol!

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Holy crap! A twenty year old thread. I wonder if that's a record? Maybe an admin [hint, hint] could easily check this out? Because now inquiring minds, well at least mine, wonder what the longest running topic on AN is!

[Papelazo]

Hey guys, not remotely a nurse story but I've been reading this thread for about a year now because someone recommended it to me and I finally reached it's last post haha. I'm sorry I made an acc without being anywhere close to being a nurse/doctor but I see how you enjoy pretty much any ghost story so here it goes:

When I was 16yo or 17yo I was at my PC late at night doing random stuff. I had my electric guitar next to me on its stand, when it started to fall to the side very very slowly, I didn't straighten it up right away I don't really know why, I think the thought "let's see what happens" crossed my mind, when all of a sudden it straightened itself back. I didn't and I don't know for sure if it was a ghost (though it most likely was) and you can get your own conclusions but I did say "thank you" out loud and started playing some tunes haha.

Bonus track:

I was 7yo and my family and me were just moved into our current apartment, in the same building and same floor but this one was bigger than our old one. I was given the bedroom right next to the hall when you enter the apartment. One night I was trying to sleep with my eyes on this hall, when I started seeing a man in Winter clothing dancing in circles with two or three kids holding hands. I got up after a few minutes, walked right by those people and went to my parent's bedroom to tell my mom what I saw. She was dead asleep, so I shook her shoulder a bit and she woke up, not entirely though. I said "hey mom.. there's people dancing in my room" and she said nah you were dreaming, go back to sleep. Then I said "but mom.. if I was dreaming... how come I see them here too? Needless to say she opened wide her eyes, grabbed me by my nape and tucked me deep inside the bed hahaha.

That's all, sorry again for intruding in this forum but I had to share since I enjoyed nearly all the stories posted here.

[StrwbryblndRN]

Being that I work nights I have always heard/seen things happen.  Very minor. However, things have started happening at home in past 2 weeks.  

 While trying to fall asleep around midnight, my phone fell off the night stand.  I was laying still and not close to night stand when it fell.   Well it fell face up and started playing a song on Pandora.  In order for this to happen, I would need to tap screen, swipe up, open app and tap play.  (I have not used Pandora in months) Freaked me out somewhat, only because it made me worry that someone needed me.   I checked the kids, checked my puppies, the doors, you name it.   I even checked the song to see if it was significant to someone I knew.  Nope.  When I went to lay back down, my sister text me.  She was in the ER with a tib-fib compound fx.   

While sitting with my 18 yo daughter on the couch, we kept seeing a shadow on the back door glass.  I could not tell if it was outside or inside but it just flicked away after a few minutes.  I know bugs will fly around the light but this was much bigger without any definitive shape.  We sit  in direct line of site with this door and have never seen anything like it before.     Could probably be easily explained but who knows.  

Then today, as I was trying to nap, the door to the room opened.  It opened 1/3 of the way and just stopped. I called one of my dogs who is notorious for coming to disturb me while sleeping.  Nope, not him.  No one was home.  I just layed there, waiting to see if anyone would text.  No one did.  But I could not sleep after that.  

Every once in a while for the last year, I swear I hear our side door shut like someone has come into the house.  It is an older door that can be heard easily when closed.   I happen to mention it to my daughter and she hears it sometimes too.    I always say Hello! (like Mrs. Doubtfire) because I am not sure if anyone is coming in or not.     I've gotten so used to it, it does not phase me.  Well maybe a little.    I should put a small bell on the door and see if it rings when no one is there. 

 

[BsnBull]

All of these stories are good, some are too scary to finish reading. I have one. When I worked as a LVN in a rehab center. There was a hospice pt being cared for by my coworker. The coworker asked me to accompany her to check on the pt as something weird had just happened with the contract hospice nurse and she ran out crying. We entered, the pt looked up at me ans asked if she could hold my hand, I said sure. I didn't know these pt well btw. She said Your mama told me to tell you she can't wait to see you again! I dropped her hand. My coworker asked was my mother still living. I said no she died 6 months ago. And the fact that she said my " mama", not mother, mom, etc! This is what we called her, mama.

[Davey Do]

Don't go down into the basement...

[thomas81z]

well my latest as a patient LOL

I was in cape coral hospital for something minor

but as I was waiting a black & white blur entered under the door

my fiancee also saw it & said a quick prayer & it vanished

[guydreamr]

On 10/31/2015 at 12:16 PM, HarryTheCat said:

The best ghost story I ever heard was from an LPN who had worked in a LTC facility. One of their oldest residents, a nonagenarian we'll call "John", had been a very evil, violent man in his younger years, and had been in an out of prisons for much of his adult life. Late one night, several terrified residents and staff reported seeing (and hearing) John being dragged screaming down the hallway by several shadowy, black-clad figures. When they checked John's room, they found the old man, passed away in his bed. The shadowy figures were never seen again, and there was no explanation as to how they were able to leave the building, but for years after there was a lot of speculation among staff and residents that what they had witnessed was John's soul being carried off to Hell. Creepy.

OMG, that is terrifying. That so reminds me of the movie "Ghost" (1990, Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore), when the two bad people in the film died. 

[vetnrse]

Good one!

[thomas81z]

OK people this thread has been going since 2000 ,lets keep it going , someone post up a new experience please

[SmilingBluEyes]

Not the best story but at the clinic  I was at,  it was known to be haunted.

Techs came in at 230 to open. They ALL reported seeing ghosts in the storage room. Things being pushed off shelves and onto the floor. Our biomedical guys (big dudes) often would never go into that room alone. They were that freaked out.

I have seen automatic doors open and shut and told (it) to STOP IT NOW and it stopped. It was always at night when we were about to close.

Also our scale goes off as if someone is stepping on it. I have also told (it) to STOP and it stops.

We have had many, many patients die over the years and I wonder if they wander our clinic, lost or confused......

I don't know for sure what's going on. I have seen nothing but sensed much!