What's Your Best Nursing Ghost Story?

Nurses General Nursing Nursing Q/A

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 oncology.

I am an avid reader of Ghost Stories. At least 2 centuries ago, ghost stories were a tradition to be told on Christmas Eve Night. In the last century Charles Dickens wrote his story of Scrooge that has kept this tradition alive. I live in the US but subscribe to Britbox streaming and this year Britbox had the best Ghost Story that was shown on Christmas evening. "Mezzotint"  My husband and I really enjoyed it!

Specializes in Progressive Care, Sub-Acute, Hospice, Geriatrics.

My first nursing ghost story. I worked nightshift at a SNF/rehab facility and I was told by the nurses that I would see some patients that appears out of the ordinary and not to be surprised. At 1AM, the hallway was empty, lights were dimmed. My preceptor and I were getting a pain medication for one patient at her med cart. I was talking to her and I looked down in the empty hallway, I saw a young black woman with a pink blanket over her, she was wearing shorts and socks. The face was visible but she was so far away I could not see it clearly. She ran so fast in one of the patients room, I thought it was a CNA slacking off. I asked my preceptor if she saw the young woman passed by. She said no. So I tried to investigate. I went to the rooms that I had thought she went to and found them to be empty. I went to another room and a female patient was watching TV. I had asked her if she had walked outside the hallway. She told me "Honey, I can barely walk. I broke my hip". I was like ?. Other rooms were empty. I could swore I had seen a young woman darting across the hallway. It was the only thing I spoke about that night. Then, my coworkers told me that seeing things especially at night was normal since they said that many patients had died there. The next day, I had found out that a young black woman did die on that floor due to complication and the room she went to was the room she died at. I was super freaked out!

Specializes in LTC, med-surg, DD, agency.

I worked in a sleepy little SNF for a few years and started out on the night shift.  I had a resident on hospice, end stage CHF and CKD, who was confused.  He'd call the nurses station instead of calling his wife by accident.  I'd tell him, "Mr. XYZ, you've reached the nurses station, this is DonnyDilaudid, your nurse.  I'll come in and call your wife for you."  It would happen like clockwork nearly every night around midnight for a few weeks.  He deteriorated, as expected, and eventually, he died.  For three nights after he died, the phone in his room would ring in to the station around midnight - nobody on the other end.  On the third night, my third of three in a row, when the phone rang into the station from his room, I said, "Mr. XYZ, this is DonnyDilaudid.  I'll come let you out."  Went into the room, opened the window for a few seconds and shut it again.  No more phone calls from an empty room after that!  The aides and I were spooked!

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Not super scary but the other night in my clinic, the automatic (locked) door kept opening and shutting at the end of my shift. No one was there each time. I finally said "JUST STOP IT ALREADY I KNOW YOU ARE THERE" and it stopped.

hmmmm.

Hi, I LOVE THESE!! I am an RN with my own hospital ghost stories!! I’ll include mine below! I’m writing a book of Nurses ghost stories! Send me your story! Please make sure it reads well and has good punctuation! 

[email protected]

I was working graveyard shift at a small hospital. I had several experiences over the few months I worked there. I had seen a male patient in a gown walk across an empty room (glass room fronts) one night when we had a really low census. We also had a prison wing that I heard whistling coming out of when it was closed with no patients or workers inside. When I first started, I kept seeing someone in my peripheral view, standing in the doorway of a room that a patient had passed away in, just days before I started. I also had my stories featured on season 1 of haunted hospitals! ???

Specializes in forensic psych, corrections.

I'd have to say nurse managers. I've heard they exist, but I very rarely see one.

CharmCityRN said:
I'd have to say nurse managers. I've heard they exist, but I very rarely see one.

Is that like the help that never shows up?

stidget99 said:
I used to work in a state inst for developmentally disabled. We were temp relocated to another building for remodeling of our bldg. Anyways...I was working one nite, 2nd shift. We had a locked pica unit. I saw one of the residents walking down the hall. Very distinct gait and very distinct yellow t-shirt w/ a happy face on it. I went into the ward to let staff know that they had an escapee. This was a serious situation because this particular resident, Larry, would ingest absolutely anything (from clothing to pens to belts to *ugh* a bird's head)...literally anything. He was also very reluctant to go back to his home ward (hence why I didn't bring him back myself...he needed two escorts). When we got back into the hall, less than 15 secs later, Larry was gone!! We searched the entire building! Outside, downstairs, all wards...he was NO WHERE to be found!!! This whole search lasted last than 10 mins because I had all extra staff looking for him. I was just about to call the house supervisor to let her know that we "lost" someone when out from the bathroom walks Larry w/ one of the staff. He had been getting his bath in the bathroom for the last 30 mins or so. Kind of freaky! I absolutely, without a doubt, saw Larry in the hallway. I never would've short-staffed the wards like I did if I hadn't seen him! Like I said, very distinctive gait, look, clothing. I took a lot of razzing that nite! They all thought that I was crazy. Anyways, come to find out the next day, after the story goes around that I am crazy (haha, gigglegiggle, funnyfunny)..............Larry had an identical twin brother who died in that building 10 yrs previously.

Yikes....this one gave me the chills!

Mulan said:
Is that like the help that never shows up?

That's a fairy tale, not a ghost story. ;)

ZASHAGALKA share more

Jdon said:
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?

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

Jdon said:
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?

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

That's what I thought too! Ha Ha

+ Add a Comment