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 LTC, Subacute Rehab.

I work in a LTC facility.. and I actually did see a floating head two days ago. :uhoh3: I was making a bed, and had bent over to mitre the corner of the sheet opposite the door. I looked up toward the doorway in time to see a head... just a generic head... float by about 4 feet off the ground. I went into another resident's room a few minutes later, and I swear, there was the most pervasive feeling of doom in there. She was taken out to the hospital yesterday... I'm just waiting to see if it was some kind of warning :o.

Specializes in critical care transport.

Nice to see one of my favorite threads again.

Specializes in ICU, oncology, orthopedics, med/surge.
SaraO said:
I work in a LTC facility.. and I actually did see a floating head two days ago. :uhoh3: I was making a bed and had bent over to mitre the corner of the sheet opposite the door. I looked up toward the doorway in time to see a head... just a generic head... float by about 4 feet off the ground. I went into another resident's room a few minutes later, and I swear, there was the most pervasive feeling of doom in there. She was taken out to the hospital yesterday... I'm just waiting to see if it was some kind of warning

OK... You guys are really freaking me out. I've yet to even start nursing school, and I don't want to be in a horror movie like atmosphere.. Seriously though, are there that many supernatural encounters? Particularly about the possessed patient sitting 2 in above the bed ?

I heard this story from a friend of mine, who is also a fellow nursing student but from another university. One night, while they were on a night shift, a 9-year-old female child unfortunately died in the Pedia Ward. My friend was the one assigned to perform post-mortem care to the said patient. So there he was, cleaning the patient's body and all. He placed a red bracelet in the patient's right hand, as it was the policy of the hospital to place a red tag on the right hand of all patients who are pronounced dead. After performing his tasks, he was on his way to the elevator when suddenly, the little girl came running after him! Terrified, he quickly pushed the close button so that the elevator would close right away and bring him to safety down to the lower floor.

While inside the elevator, an old woman in hospital gown asked him why he closed the elevator door right away when a child wanted to board in. Still overwhelmed with fear, he explained to the old lady "That was the child that I just performed post-mortem care a while ago. She is already dead. Did you saw the red tag on her right arm? That is the mark for all dead patients here in this hospital..." The old woman raised her right arm and replied... "Similar to this?"

My friend was found unconcious inside the elevator a few moments later. He never stepped inside the said hospital again. Ever.

Specializes in LTC.

I have a interesting story! I was working one evening passing medications down a hall in a LTC facility. One of my patients phone was ringing and it keep ringing for maybe 10 rings or more I was wondering why the patient didn't answer the phone. I was going to go in the room but I was really busy and thought she might be in the bathroom. I knew she was in the room. I keep thinking answer the phone. Finally the phone just wouldn't stop ringing and I went in to answer the phone. Well it wasn't her phone after all it was the roommate who was out on pass. I answered the phone and it was one of my patients in another room. They all had private number so no room to room callling.They had to provide their own phones This man ask for the person he was calling and I recongized the voice and said Patrick you have called the wrong number and which he said the number, which was not even in the area prefix. As I was talking to him I looked over and saw the lady patient in bed, she looked dead. I hung up quickly. She was a full code and CPR was started. She later died at the hospital. What was the chances of this man calling a wrong number in the room this patient was dying in? Of all the numbers he could have called by mistake. It was like I was suppose to go in that room. This was really weird. Now if a phone is ringing and no one is answering it I go and look in the room. Weird things happen all the time!

Ok, I have one but I haven't witnessed it myself yet. I have to work tonight, so maybe I'll see it. We had an elderly lady with ESRD and was hospice appropriate. She was going down hill and passed away without incident. She didn't have any children of her own and all of her brothers and sisters were already gone. Anyway... she passed about 4 or 5 months ago and now on our monitors in the nurses station you can see a little old lady sitting in the hallway reading a book on the sofa. Everyone swears she's never there during the day, but once night starts you can see her sitting there. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm waiting! The Nurses sent a CNA down there to check to see if she could see anything, but nothng was there although she continued to show up on the monitor. Everyone agrees that it is this same little sweet lady that had no family. When I see her, I'll be sure to follow up and let you all know about it.

Specializes in Acute Med, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.

i'm convinced one elevator in my hospital is haunted. every single time you ride it, up or down, it always stops on the third floor (where the OR is). even is there's no one waiting to get on and no one has pushed the button for the third floor, it will stop. kinda creepy.

funny, i read the first 65 pages of this a while ago, and felt nothing but interest.

i just looked up my last post and then read from there, and have got the spookiest feeling now, like i'm being watched.

a few things.. sorry, i can't remember poster's names, so i can only refer by story:

the story about your grandfather dying and you seeing a shooting star - that's a wonderful story and a brilliant way for you to know that he's all right. i got a really warm, happy feeling reading that, so thankyou for sharing it.

the story about the red bracelets - that is the scariest thing i've ever heard, and just thinking about it to write this is giving me serious icy chills, and i know without a doubt that i won't be sleeping tonight.

Specializes in M/S, OB, Ortho, ICU, Diabetes, QA/PI.
I heard this story from a friend of mine, who is also a fellow nursing student but from another university. One night, while they were on a night shift, a 9-year-old female child unfortunately died in the Pedia Ward. My friend was the one assigned to perform post-mortem care to the said patient. So there he was, cleaning the patient's body and all. He placed a red bracelet in the patient's right hand, as it was the policy of the hospital to place a red tag on the right hand of all patients who are pronounced dead. After performing his tasks, he was on his way to the elevator when suddenly, the little girl came running after him! Terrified, he quickly pushed the close button so that the elevator would close right away and bring him to safety down to the lower floor.

While inside the elevator, an old woman in hospital gown asked him why he closed the elevator door right away when a child wanted to board in. Still overwhelmed with fear, he explained to the old lady "That was the child that I just performed post-mortem care a while ago. She is already dead. Did you saw the red tag on her right arm? That is the mark for all dead patients here in this hospital..." The old woman raised her right arm and replied... "Similar to this?"

My friend was found unconcious inside the elevator a few moments later. He never stepped inside the said hospital again. Ever.

Brrrrrr......

When I regained consciousness, I probably would have had to change my pants, if you know what I mean.........

Specializes in M/S, OB, Ortho, ICU, Diabetes, QA/PI.
Having roses appear from nowhere and smelling roses can be contributed to St. Therese of Lisieux, a Catholic nun from France who died very young. I cannot remember exactly what she is the patron saint of but it involves something along the line of hopeless causes or the sick or dying. Having roses appear or smelling roses is a good sign, although a bit unsettling.

there is a 5 day novena that you can do that involves St Therese "The Little Flower" - among other things, you say a little prayer that asks for her to "please pick a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love" and for her to ask God to grant your favour (whatever it is - it can be anything) - I've done it countless times and have had many requests granted - the roses have appeared to me in some really strange situations - just to make sure I'm not seeing what I think I want to see, in my request, I usually specify a certain colour of rose and I get chills when I "get my sign" (as my mother calls it) but I know things are going to go my way.............

ok - enough about me - carry on with the stories..............

Specializes in M/S, OB, Ortho, ICU, Diabetes, QA/PI.

Once we had a nun as a patient and when she died we heard singing...checked all the rooms for a choir on tv and found nothing to explain the singing.

wow - that's cool...................

I work in LTC. My first encounter was last week. The facility turned one of the empty bedrooms into a small dining room for residents that dont need as much assistance during meal time. The person who's bedroom that was had been moved to a different room and died there 2 weeks ago. When we were walking down the hallway afte report we heard a crash. We ran into the room. No one was there and there was a corel plate on the floor shattered. The plates are kept under the counter in an enclosed cupboard. One nurse stated "after being here for 20 yrs she just doesn't wanna leave".

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