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...

I am really weary of ghost stories. My husband is a funeral director and he's never had a body sit up in a casket or anything in the least bit weird like that. And if anyone was going to see a ghost, I would imagine it would be him. So I don't know what to make of what happened one day.

I admitted a patient with an AMI who was a DNR. He had a history of Alzheimer's Disease and his wife was at his side with him. He was agitated and complaining of chest pain. He received Ativan and Morphine. He kept trying to climb out of the bed. He was insistent that he needed to "Go with Momma." He would say to his wife, "Do you see her, honey?" And she would tell him to calm down and lie in the bed.

I was pushing more morphine when he looked up at the ceiling, put out his hand, and gasped. His color changed from pink to ashen. I listened for an apical pulse and pronounced him a few minutes later. I don't believe in God or heaven, so it was a real surprise to me. It made me stop and think.

As a student nurse/nursing assistant, was caring for a 103 year old lady on an oncology unit. She was A&Ox3. Passing the room , saw her talking out loud, noone was there.

When I entered the room, I asked her to tell me what she needed. She told me "Tell them to leave me alone. They want me to go with them, but I dont want to." I asked her who? She said the two ladies standing right next to you."

I looked again to both sides of me, noone there, that I could see. I asked her if she knew who these people were. She said, "They're old neighbors of mine from along time ago." She said they are looking at you and smiling.

I told the pt. and the unseen guests, "OK, this young lady would like to get some sleep right now, so let her be." The pt. went to sleep.

The next night on returning to the unit, I found out that this patient had passed.

This has happened many, many other times in my career.

Several years ago I lived in a small lake Cottage on Spring Lake, in Cherokee, Iowa.

At times I would take advantage of the paved walking trail that surrounds the Lake.

I must admit I am a very huge guy. I'm 6'8" tall and weigh over 400 lbs.. So I take up a good chunk of the width of the path. So when I encountered other walkers on the trail, I would out of courteousness to them step to the far side of the path, to allow the others to pass without having to walk off the edge of the trail themselves.

One day when I was walking along the eastern edge of the southern Lake trail, I could hear rapid footsteps coming up from behind me. The type of sounds that would be made by a jogger. These footsteps were faster than my own footsteps.

Of course I moved to the side of the paved trail so the jogger behind me could pass by. But they never did, I moved further to the edge of the trail practically walking off the edge of the paved surface, allowing the jogger to pass without hindrance. But still the rapid footsteps would not pass me.

I finally stepped completely off the trail, and turned back to see why the jogger wasn't passing, and I saw nothing. There was no one there!

I have also experienced this same sensation on the highest part of the trail that overlooks the Lake on the west side of Spring Lake!

I can't account for the foot steps. It could be anyone of a number of victims that have drowned in Spring Lake over the years.

Why don't you come and visit Spring Lake Park, walk along the paved trail; and see if you can encounter this Jogging Ghost, too!

Maybe you will discover the Ghost's identity!

I know a couple of local Police Officers, whom I've discussed my Ghost Hunting activities with. In fact one of the Officer's wife has gone on a few Ghost Hunts that I have organized in the past.

Anyway the younger of the 2 Cops talked to me on his coffee break, and told me the other day, that he had heard that I was giving up and getting out of Ghost Hunting.

I said that was right for the most part. But I was free to change my mind too.

He said he thought it was a good idea to stay away from it. He said the last time I talked to him, ( which was also my first time to talk to him, again on his coffee break ) that night at about the exact time I was telling him how to do "Table Tipping" his wife was experiencing a haunting in their recently purchased home.

Prior to that they had not experienced anything, and since then they had not experienced anything.

He said he didn't believe in coincidence, and believed that since I was talking to him at about the same time she was experiencing something at home, that he felt it was a result of my involvement in Ghost Hunting.

He also said the other Officer had gone home after work the night I talked to the both of them, and he was watching TV before going to bed. When he got up to go shut off the TV set, to go to bed. The TV set turned off by it's self along with the lights in that room. And a TV set in another room turned on by it's self at the same time.

Sounds pretty freaky!

In the end of it all, I decided not to give up on my Ghost Hunting Adventures. And am currently scheduling my next outing, which will take place this Mother's Day weekend.

If you are ever in the NW Iowa Region and would like to go on a Ghost Hunt, email me and I'll see what I can organize for you.

All of the women in my mother's side of the family are extremely clairvoyant(including my toddler, whom I have heard conversing w/ my deceased sister :eek: ), so my ghost stories are too numerous to count... however, I only have one related to nursing, and it's not exactly a "ghost" story, but still freaked me out none-the-less (Hey, just b/c there are a lot of experiences w/ ghosts in my family doesn't mean I'm not freaked by it! lol)

I was working on 3rd floor of a 4-floor hospital, and I worked the night shift. The hospital was doing a lot of remodeling, floor by floor, and they had just completely shut down 4th floor to renovate it (it used to be the surgical unit, but they combined Med and Surg, and were turning 4th into pediatrics - a very small hospital I might add).

Anyway, we ran out of D5W bags, and being that I wasn't busy, I volunteered to run downstairs to 2nd floor to borrow some since pharmacy was closed for the night. I got on the elevator and pushed the "2" button... I felt the elevator start to go up, and when the doors opened, I was on 4th floor. I was a little concerned, but thought I must have pushed the wrong button, so I pushed 2 again, and nothing happened, so I went back down to 3rd floor. When I got there, I pushed "2" again, and went right back up to 4th! Well, I got off the elevator, deciding to take the stairs... the floor was dark, except for a few lights on here and there, and being the chicken that I am, I rushed around to the stairwell. Only when I got there, it had been chained closed to prevent wandering people from coming up and exploring the empty floor (sounds like a fire hazard, but I swear it was chained shut). By now, I was a little more than scared, so I ran back around to the elevators and pushed the down button... Nothing happened. I pushed it again, and still nothing happened... Finally, I started pushing the button frantically and FINALLY the elevator doors opened. I pushed the "3" button, praying for the doors to close quickly LOL. I got back to 3rd floor, got out of the elevator, and took the stairs for the rest of the week.

I read some posts above about "guardian ghosts" and thought I'd share one of my experiences real fast, too.

When I was about 3, my mom and grandma were making dinner, and had sat a glass pan on top of the stove... One of them mistakenly turned on the wrong burner, causing the pan to shatter. I was standing directly in front of the stove. My mom panicked, sure that I was cut to bits, but there wasn't a scratch on me. Both my mom and grandma had glass peices stuck in their legs at my level, and there was glass impaled in the wall directly behind me. So obviously something sheilded me from the glass. My younger sister died at 4 months of SIDS when I was a year old, and my personal opinion is that she was protecting me (I have had several other occurances where I believe she intervened as well... may not be the actual case, but it's a thought I like to believe :)

Specializes in ICU.

I have a story a friend at work told me the other day-

About ten years ago she worked at a LTC where there was a patient that she was often assigned to. On those shifts at 8:45 pm without fail, his call light would go off and she would know without even looking that it was him calling. Well, he died tragically one day (I believe it was a burst aortic aneurism) and for two weeks after his death at 8:45 pm his call light would go off. Her coworkers would always make her go in the empty room to turn off the light since they said "he was calling for her". Well finally after two weeks of this she went into the room and said "look, you need to move on this is scaring everyone" and guess what? It stopped.

I loved this story.

As part of my Ghost Hunting activities we utilize a seance technique that was taught to me by a coworker of mine. The seance is called "Table Tipping" and it utilizes an antique card table as the aparatus to channel the Spirits for communication purposes.

This Mother's Day weekend several family members came home from both Coasts. As part of our fun activities, 6 of us adults went out Ghost Hunting at a couple of cemeteries last night. During our outings we utilized our antique card table to perform these Seances.

During these Seances the people seated at the Table will often feel a chill presence, and your hands that are touching the Table will actually ache to the bone, due to the coldness felt at the Table. Hence the phrase, "Bone Chilling!".

At one point during the "Table Tipping" I only had one hand on the Table. And only that hand felt chilled to the bone, while the hand not on the Table felt normal.

Even one adult niece who stayed home at Grandma's house said she experienced a huanting all of her own, while we were out Ghost hunting. She sensed that there was Spirit activity in the house, and on more than one occassion got up to check to see who was moving around in the 2nd floor hallway. Only to find everyone else in the house asleep in bed.

Those who went on the Table Tipping outings requested to do so, as it is just some good homespun fun. Which provides for them some good Ghost hunting adventure stories to share with their friends and coworkers.

If you would like to know more about how to perform "Table Tipping Seances" feel free to email me, listing "Table Tipping" as the subject of your message, and I'll send you the instructions.

We took my 2 yr old Great Nephew to the Museum at the Psychiatric Facility that I work at. To get to the Museum we went through the basement hallways. The closer we got to the Museum the more uncomfortable the child became.

After we were in the Museum the child became inconsolable, and kept pointing to the exit door wanting to leave. Giving up, his mother took him back to Grandma's house.

That got me to wondering if children still in the womb, can be traumatized by the Spirits when their Mothers are involved in Ghost Hunting activities?

Because this 2 yr old Great Nephew's Mother, would Table Tip with us when she was pregnant with him. And we always had great action when she was Table Tipping with us. I always felt that was due to the fact that she was pregnant, and that the Spirits were attracted to her.

After yesterday's outing to the Museum, I wondered if when this Great Nephew was still an unborn child; had he also been traumatized in the womb, by the Spirits that were attracted to him.

But I guess that is a question, none of us will ever be able to answer

We took my 2 yr old Great Nephew to the Museum at the Psychiatric Facility that I work at. To get to the Museum we went through the basement hallways. The closer we got to the Museum the more uncomfortable the child became.

After we were in the Museum the child became inconsolable, and kept pointing to the exit door wanting to leave. Giving up, his mother took him back to Grandma's house.

That got me to wondering if children still in the womb, can be traumatized by the Spirits when their Mothers are involved in Ghost Hunting activities?

Because this 2 yr old Great Nephew's Mother, would Table Tip with us when she was pregnant with him. And we always had great action when she was Table Tipping with us. I always felt that was due to the fact that she was pregnant, and that the Spirits were attracted to her.

After yesterday's outing to the Museum, I wondered if when this Great Nephew was still an unborn child; had he also been traumatized in the womb, by the Spirits that were attracted to him.

But I guess that is a question, none of us will ever be able to answer

i would think the more likely scenario, is that he is a sensitive....children under about 5 yrs tend to "see" more any way....and perhaps his mother is as well, explaining the increase activity around her.....someone should have asked the child what was bothering him...the answer may have been veriy interesting...

Specializes in Nurses who are mentally sicked.

Oh yeah!

I remember one day last Friday....the Nurse Manager came in...and everybody was running away.....it was scary!!!

My brother-in-law Don is very Spiritually Gifted.

His daughter Laura also has shown the ability to know when something bad will happen to people she cares about. But the talent doesn't occur everytime something bad happens. But my sister would say it was not uncommon for Laura to burst out in tears, and when questioned why she was crying she would say, someone was going to be in an accident, or have a fire, and sure enough they'd hear about the incident.

Now Laura's son Matthew is showing his a bility to connect with the Spirit's. And he's only 2 yrs old.

Don is Matthew's Grandpa, but he calls him Don because everyone else does. But the words Don and Grandpa mean the same thing to him. Because he refers to his other Grandpa as "Don" also, despite his name being David.

Laura has an old picture of her Grandfather, in Matthew's bedroom. Sometimes Matthew will sit bolt right up, out of a dead sleep look at his Great Grandpa's picture and start talking while looking straight at that picture. He'll chatter away saying "Don! Don! And lots of baby talk caring on a conversation with the spirit of his Great Grandpa Joe, whom he had never met in his life time.

That's largely why we took him to the Museum, since it was dedicated to Matt's Great Grandpa Joe, since he's the person who started to build the collection of historic artifacts for our Psychiatric Facility.

If Matthew had a more working vocabulary we could try to question him as to what was scaring him. But other than saying "BaBa" for Grandma, and "Ma-Me" for Mom, and "Don" for Grandpa, that's about it for his words...so far.

This isn't a ghost story..but kind of related and it still gives me chills.

My grandpa was a great person. An all around handyman. He spoiled me rotten.He and my grandmother came and picked me up everyday from school since my mom worked late and I spent many many nights at their house. He sang me songs and told me stories that I loved to hear over and over again.

Well I was in the 6th grade and I had a "big" project coming up where we had to construct a 3D animal habitat. I asked my grandpa to sculpt me some clay animals for my project. At this time, he had been out of the hospital about 3 months after his 3rd heart attack and was doing really well, but I could tell he just wan't the same..he didn't seem as joyful as before. He still got out and about, but wasn't nearly as active as before. Mom kept saying he wouldn't be around much longer, she could see it in his eyes after that last stay in the hospital. He just didn't look like he wanted to fight anymore.

Anyway, on March 10th I had my 12th birthday and my project was due a few days later. My grandpa died suddenly of another heart attack March 11th, the day after my birthday. He had been outside tending to the goats and the quail. My grandma found him sitting under a tree beside his quail cages. She said he just looked like he was sleeping. She called 911 but he was gone. I remember being pulled out of class and taken to the hospital but no one would tell me what was going on till we got there..They had him laying in a hospital bed, just like he was sleeping...

I went to stay with my grandma that night so she didn't have to be alone. I went and sat down in his old rocking chair just so I could smell his "grandpa" smell. Then I noticed something on the table beside the chair..It was a red container of "Silly Putty". I opened it up and inside was a little pig he had sculpted for me the night before he died. (I had loved silly putty when I was smaller) I keep that little pig locked up in my chest of special items to this day. I never removed it from the red silly putty container so I didn't ruin it.

Such a simple little thing means so much to me. I know he left it there for me to find. I know he waited until the day after my birthday to pass. WOW I am crying right now LOL. He never started on those little clay animals for my project, but I think that little pig was his way of saying he wished he could have.

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