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 med-surg.
I work in LTC also. I had heard many reports of the patients claiming to see children in there rooms, making noise, rocking in a rocking chair or running around getting into trouble. Usually when the patients start seeing the children, someone passes away shortly after. One evening I went into a patients room to re-check a PT/INR. I told her I was sorry that I had to wake her up to do this. She said she had not been able to get to sleep anyway until she got the little girl calmed down to sleep. She patted the bed saying the little girl was sleeing right there in the bed with her. The next morning, the patient accross the hall passed away.:uhoh21:

Ifind it interesting that there are all of these trouble-making children in LTC facilities...maybe they are projections from the residents themselves? There is so little we really know about the human mind....

Specializes in med-surg.
I found the most amazing and scary ghost video EVER! iam always looking for evidence of ghosts and paranormal well anyway i found this.
happy halloween!

Well thanks Trendy. I had just made myself a cup of tea and drowsily perusing this thread and thinking of going to bed early before starting a new week of clinicals. :eek: Thank you for the adrenaline rush and reminder that I should be staying up late to work on my term paper that's due in 2 weeks.:trout:

lol

We had a patient one night tell the doctor when he was making rounds that Jesus was in the doorway and was telling her to come home. The doctor told her to go. That night she did.

Not nursing, but when I was 18 years old my boyfriend and I were going to prom, we had one of his friends and his date in the car with us. We went to eat in the town I lived at then we were headed back to his home town. Well his friend told him to take a certain road that it would be a short cut. As soon as we turned on the road, I heard a voice that said "put your seat belt on." I did and told everyone else to do the same. Well the other girl put hers on and made her date put his on. Everytime my date would reach for his seat belt a curve would come in the road and he would let go of his seatbelt to drive. I undid mine, put his on him, and then put mine back on. The next curve we went around the car went straight. My boyfriend swore that he turned the steering wheel but it still went straight. I hit my head on the plastic piece on the side of the front windshield holding it in. Other then that no one else was hurt. I was just shaking. The house we went to to call for a tow truck belonged to a nurse, she was afraid I was going into shock, I told her I was just cold (Arkansas in MAY, not cold). When I went home that night I knocked on my mothers door to let her know I was home. She asked was everything alright. I told her I'd like to talk to her. She opened the door and said "You were in a car wreak tonight about nine weren't you." I told her yes, she said about 9 she got this weird feeling that we had been in a wreak but that we were ok so she was not worried.

If that voice wouldn't have told me to put my seat belt on I would have possibly been thrown out the windshield because of how hard we hit the ditch then went into the field.

Isn't it wierd how mother's just seem to know when you need them even if your not at the same place? I was walking home from a Cubs game one night with my friend and we found out the buses stopped running. So naturally I had been drinking and I tried encouraging my friend that we could walk all the way home. (About 8 or nine miles) My mo called 5 minutes later and said do you need a ride home and I was like, no we could walk. She wouldn't have it and picked us up. That night there was a few rapes so I guess I'm lucky my mom has such strong intuition.;)

Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

This isn't nursing related, but it happened recently.

My adopted sister was at my son's house babysitting his baby daughter while they were at work. She put the little girl (14 months old) down for a nap and covered her with the blanket up to her chin. A little while later, she went in to check on her, and the baby was lying in the same position but the blanket was neatly folded down to her waist! Tracey pulled the blanket back up to her neck, thinking how odd that was.

This happened twice more in the next hour, but the baby's position never changed! After the third time, Tracey walked back into the kitchen, and said, "Ok, I give up!", and didn't go back into the room until the baby woke up.

After the baby woke up, Tracey took her into the living room, where the baby immediately went over to a photograph of my mother (who has been dead for over 10 years) and started talking to it, and using her word for "mamaw"!!!!

When my son came home that night, I went over and casually asked him if he had ever told the baby who it was in that photograph. He looked at me like I was crazy, and said, "No, why would I? At this age??".

All three of us sisters believe firmly that it is something our mother would do, watch over the baby and do things like fix the blanket "so she wouldn't smother", I can just hear her saying it now. There are three great grandchildren - one of them is in Heaven with mother, one lives with me, and the other lives with my son and his wife. I guess Mom thinks I can watch the one and she will watch the other two!!!!:welcome:

Specializes in med/surg.
I used to watch "Most Haunted," but unfortunately it was outed as a fraud. I felt so gullible. I always thought that Derek guy was over the top. I really believe in TAPS, though. I think they've proven themselves to be very credible.

sorry for such a late reply to this message but just had to say that you are completely right about the show most haunted not being as credible. my dh and i put it on to cheer us up as it enevitably provides us lots of laughs.....whenever he gets possessed the spirits seem to have a scouse[liverpudlian] accentand his co-star always looks like she is going to burst out laughing. just thought i would share. also we get a show shown here in the uk starring an american guy as the psychic and a girl called gail porter. do you guys get it? no sure what its called but it sure scares the c**p out of me x

Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.
Isn't it wierd how mother's just seem to know when you need them even if your not at the same place?

In 1992 during spring break my older sister and I went down in a van with 14 other people to Austin, Texas. On the way back, another lady who had traveled with us insisted on driving all night. At 7 in the morning it finally caught up with her. She fell asleep at the wheel with all 16 of us in the van- 5 adults and 11 teens- and the van went up a steep enbankment on the side of the Missouri highway, then rolled 3x down it and landed on it's side. Anyway, the spooky side of this was that at exactly that time, my mom and dad woke up feeling like they needed to pray for us.

Around that same time, I was in an accident with my older brother when he was driving me to school. A car cut over right in front of us on the highway, and when we slammed on the brakes, the car behind us slammed into us and sent us into the cement wall on the side. Other cars got around us, but a semi was headed straight for us at high speed and there was no way he could slow down. He purposely jackknifed his semi-truck, and hurt his leg to keep from slamming into us. The spooky side of this was that once again, my dad woke up feeling like he needed to pray for us because we would be in danger, only it was in the middle of the night, the night before.

Hi, This is my 1st post on this board. :) I just had to reply. Although my most significant experiences did not happen as a "nursing ghost story" per se. Although some have.

In 1984, I was preparing to be a bridesmaid in a friends wedding and I was expecting at the time. My friend was having another friend alter our dresses. Well, my dress came back and it was about 3 sizes too big and too long, so my Gram, whom I was very close to, as I was her 1st Grandchild, said, "I'll do the alterations for you honey". During my many fittings, we would always talk about my having her 1st Great Grandchild and how she was also making the netting for the bassinet too. She swore it would be a girl, and made a pink one. As we were getting close to my last fitting, she told me to stand up on the chair with my heels on carefully, as she could not bend over and wanted to check the length. She was 74 yrs young at the time. God I loved her. :sniff: Well, I put my heel right through the back of the gown, tearing a huge hole in it at the bottom! :eek: She calmly told me, "Get down off the chair now Emilee and please go home, I will fix it". I couldn't apologize enough as I walked out the door, she had worked so hard on it for me and I know she was a bit perturbed about it and just didn't want me to see her frustration.

A few nights later, I was sound asleep in bed, when I felt the hair on my forehead being brushed aside and felt a very distinct kiss on it and a very warm embrace. I sat straight up and looked over at my husband at the time, thinking it was him, and he was over on the other side of the bed snoring away. :confused: I sat there with an odd feeling I couldn't understand and looked at the clock, it said 10:02pm. I just couldn't shake what I know I felt and had not dreamt.

I got up to get a water and sat on my couch for about 45 mins trying to rationalize what I felt, when my phone rang. It was my Mom and she said, "Em, can you come to the house, Gram passed away about 45 mins ago. She was sitting in her rocking chair around 10pm, said to my Grampa, "Al, I love you, please hold my hand, I'm leaving now", he took her hand confused, and she closed her eyes and passed away". :scrying: OMG! She came to me while I slept, her final goodbye and kissed me before she moved on. I told my Dad and my Grampa and they both started to cry, as I was her favorite and it comforted them very much. For me, I'll be honest, I was afraid to look in the mirror and see her looking back at me for days. Really. I think I would have had a heart attack myself!

Later on, I took the rocking chair she died in, for when I had my baby. Everyone was too freaked out to sit in it or touch it, but I wasn't. When I had my Son, it was not a girl like she thought, I would rock him in that chair and I felt her there with me. Many times when I was sooo tired doing night feedings, I felt my hair being stroked and such a sense of calm. A few times, I'd see that chair rocking on its own while my son slept. I knew she was there watching over her 1st Great Grandchild and I would see it and say, "Hi Gram, he's beautiful isn't he"? I still when in distress or stressed out, talk to her. I feel her there always. I'll sit in her rocking chair and talk to her. I always feel better afterward and somehow the troubles I had, I found a way to work through them after my "session" with Gram.

Now my Grampa, he didn't do well after she passed. She was his life, being married well over 50 yrs. He would cry every night for her. He replaced every name in his bible with her name, painstakenly handwritting it in! I don't know why, but he did. It gave him comfort. He had developed Alzheimer's and would call only *ME* by my Grams name everytime he saw me, he said, "I see you there". Later on, he developed pneumonia, and lapsed into a coma, and was not given long to live. We would visit him and I can't explain how he looked. It was just not him anymore. He was a shell of a person, who did not come out of his coma. My Dad and I were with him one night, I was talking to him, hoping he heard me when I looked upward and saw a flash of light. I asked my Dad if he saw it and he just looked at me stunned. I knew my Gram had come to take him home. We both took his hand and I said, "Grampa, its okay, take Grams hand now, she's here waiting" and my Dad said, "Its okay Dad, go to Mom now, let go, we love you". No lie, in a coma, unresponsive, he sat straight up in the bed(scared me, I didn't expect that, he was in a coma after all), extended his right arm and hand upward towards the ceiling as if reaching for something, lied back down and he was gone. :scrying: He took her hand.

I have many more experiences I could post about, even from family pets that have gone to other experiences I have witnessed, but didn't want my 1st post to be too long, as it is already! :wink2: Sorry. Just sharing.

Emilee

I want to hear about the family pets. I lost a dog recently and still grieving. Let's hear about yours.

Specializes in med/surg.

gymratt33, also have ghost in my house. like to think it my grandpa paying a visit. have wine glasses that were v.expensive and i am very particular about them. my dh brought me some wine into bed and i put the glass on my bedside table, next morning the glass was on my dresser way over the other side of the room. most recent- just the other day i was v upset...stressed at work, rubbish pay, events to organise etc and dh had went to care for his father who has pd, anyway having a wee cry to myself when my fairy lights that were turned off came on

Specializes in med/surg.
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.

OMG........how scared am i???:uhoh21: at work just now and convinced someone is blowing in my ear. could just be the a.c though

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
i get that feeling sometimes. but usually its after reading this thread or watching a ghost movie ;)
Many times. After I finish reading this thread I'll post some personal experiences.
Specializes in med/surg.

at last i have finished all 113 pages. it only took me a week.....lets keep them coming.

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
I live just north of Boston. About 3 miles from me in Danvers, MA there is an old state hospital with a very very lengthy history. It was built in the late 1800's as a mental hospital that housed patients with every mental illness you can imagine. Unfortunately alot of the patients were teenagers whose parents dumped them there with "failure to socialize" and silly things like that..most likely they were just teenagers. The began doing lobodomies, shock therapy and water therapy, along with some procedures that were not even remotely acceptable. We all know what mental health was like in the 1900's, non existent. There was a lot of abuse that went on there. If you look at a picture of Danvers State from the air it looks like a bat. The wards that were furthest away form the main building housed the extreme patients. I have heard more creepy stories from nurses who worked there (including my dad who trained there in nursing school in 74). It closed in 86 and remained empty and in disrepair until this year. Kids used to party up there and there was a few incidents of cult worship going on there too. Google it and you will be freaked out! Anyway, two stories related.

Danvers state was heavily patrolled and guarded since the early 90's I can't say how I was able to go up there but I did with 2 other people. It is a sprawling place on many acres of farmland (it was a "self contained city" had its own everything) I had been wanting to see it up close for years, and I finally got the chance. WE parked in front of the main entrance. I got out of the car and walked up to the front door. It was sort of open so we pushed it open all the way. I saw a long corridor with the creepiest wheelchair I have ever seen. I suddenly had the most intense feeling of dread come over me. I felt like I was rooted to the ground. I heard a voice say "get out'. You can bet my butt was back in that car as fast as my legs would carry me. I refused to go in and look around (which I get razzed about all the time because all kids that grew up around here try to get into danvers state). I went to work the day after and was getting sheets out of the linen closet. Its not uncommon to have sheets marked with area hospitals names on them, they come back with the patients. I pull out a sheet and take it in to make a bed. I flip it open and don't you nkow it has "PROPERTY OF DANVERS STATE" printed on it. I put it in a bio bag and threw it out with the hazmat!

I had a patient who was at danvers state until 1986 when they closed. She never left the nursing home I worked at out of fear we would send her back. She would flip if you tried to send her to the doc or for tests or what have you. The only time she went out of the building was the day she died.

When it closed in 86 a lot of patients were just released with no place to go. Courtest of budget cuts, so alot of them just kinda migrated back there and lived together until they were forced out. Theres a lot of info on and it in 2004 a movie was filmed there called "Session 9" if you want the scare of your life rent it! It is seriously one of the best movies ever. David Caruso is in it. Anyway, look it up and read up on it..theres a lot more to the story..oh by the way we tried to save it as it is a historical site but a big wig company bought it and now its being renovated into conds...maybe I'll buy one.

I just looked up "Session 9" and it looks really creepy to me. In fact there is also murder in it. I for one will not be purchasing it, but keep these stories coming.
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