By Haunted nurses, sneaky pranks, and phantom children, oh my! It’s almost Halloween, and we can’t get enough of these scary stories from the nurses that follow our Facebook page Funny Nurses. Providers from all over the world have been sharing spine-tingling encounters from their time on the job. It’s just a reminder of how scary healthcare can be. And we’re not talking about staff shortages or working without PPE.
Instead of going to a costume party this year, use these stories to forget about your troubles as we gear up a Halloween unlike any other.
Blast from the Past
Gary Baron appears to have come in close contact with nurses from generations past.
“I worked a bank night shift on a cystic fibrosis unit. The majority of the patients there died young. The patients weren’t allowed in the day room at night. I walked past the day room and all the lights were off and I heard what sounded like a young voice say, ‘Shhhhhh, he’s coming.’
I turned the lights on and there was nobody there. Just after midnight I saw the silhouette of two nurses in old-fashioned uniforms with the waist belt and hats walk up the ward talking to each other whilst I was sat at the nurses’ station. I was obviously terrified at this point, but the regular night nurses laughed at me and said, ‘Yes, we see them all the time.’ I didn’t do any bank shifts on there again but every time I walked past the unit I went cold.”
Are we all doomed to roam the halls of the hospital for eternity? Sounds like a nightmare.
First Day Jitters
Jane Hand, a healthcare assistant, recalls one of her first days on the job:
“When I was working in the care home to gain some care experience, I went in on my first night and my colleague who was supposed to be looking after me asked me to go and strip the bed in one of the rooms as the lady had sadly passed away, stating, “You’ll find fresh bedding in the wardrobe.”
Someone new was moving into that room in the morning, so I wanted to make it nice for them. I stood at the window trying to open it as the room was stuffy, and I heard this creaking coming from what I thought was the wardrobe. I went about doing my business, opened what I thought was the wardrobe and low and behold one of my colleagues was hiding in there dressed up as a skeleton, and she leapt out saying “Hello.” I’ve never felt my heart skip so many beats ever.”
They say it’s good to keep nurses on their toes, but this is a little extreme.
Touched by a Ghost
Spirits from the beyond need a little love and attention just like the rest of us. At least that was true for Carmel Walker, a practical nurse in Ireland.
“I used to work in a nursing home a few years ago… I was on a night shift once and around 2 or 3 AM I was helping a lady to the bathroom, I heard footsteps in the corridor, so I went to the door to see who was up but there was no one there… I returned to the room and could still hear footsteps walking up the corridor… as I was putting on the lady’s shoes I felt something lightly ruffle my hair. I swiped my hair with my hand… then it happened again?. Weird things happen on night shift!!”
Sounds like a friendly greeting to us. At least they weren’t pushing the call button.
Seeing is Believing
Working in healthcare means learning to live with life and death, and that could include working alongside ghosts from beyond the grave.
Carol Nielson shares this story from her time at a behavioral health facility:
“We were sitting around telling ghost stories about the place when a sceptic scoffed and insulted the spirits. A chart on top of the rack flipped over onto his head. There was no way it just slid, and no one touched it. He freaked out and told us to tell it to go away ? Dude, apologize and make nice.”
They should really teach us this stuff in medical school.
The Face of Death
Some patients never go away, but what if they linger to help dying patients cross over to the other side?
This story from Patti Hunter still gives us chills:
“[Several] years ago, a little boy was hit by a car on a bike across from a facility that I worked in. He died. Patients often taking a turn for the worst would say that there was a little boy in their room visiting when no visitors had been present. When he visited, they would pass away shortly after. It was always on the same unit but different rooms.”
A huge thanks to everyone who shared their story on Facebook. We’re looking forward to reading more spooky tales as we get closer to the end of the month.
