Just how secure are we? Not very.

We have had increasing levels and incidents of violence and robbery in the city that I work in. It's starting to get a little too close to the hospital. Just yesterday, a nurse was robbed at gunpoint by two young men. Luckily, she only lost her purse, and not her life. She was not injured or physically harmed.

Where did it happen? On the short walk to her car. A trip she makes every day.

Working at the hospital, day shift employees (those who start before 1pm) must park in one of the four distant parking lots. They are all a short 5-10 minute walk to the hospital. There are shuttle buses that pick up and drop off employees from the distant parking lots. The parking lots themselves have surveillance cameras and security guards who make their rounds.

However, security is not perfect nor always present. If employees choose to walk to and from the lots (as very, very many do, because there are just not enough shuttles to drive everyone), there is no security because you walk along public streets or through an apartment complex.

And thus, people get mugged and robbed.

It's not the first time, nor will it be the last time that a hospital employee is mugged or robbed.

What does the hospital say about it?

Use the shuttle buses.

Walk in groups to and from your cars.

Call security to escort you to your car.

Who seriously has time for that? I have personally had to wait 30 minutes for a security guard to drive/walk me to my car after the shuttles are done (after midnight). Who in the heck really wants to wait that long after working overtime at the hospital? I can tell you just how dead tired I am after working many of my shifts. The only thing on my mind is to get home and go to sleep.

However, I do value my personal safety, and I waited 30+ minutes for a security escort to my car when I am getting out of work after shuttle hours, and I'm parked in one of the parking lots.

Luckily, if you start work after 1pm, you can park in the parking garage - which is still a 5 minute walk through dark areas of the garage and a tunnel to get to the hospital. Still scary. Still a risk of being mugged or robbed. But at least you're on camera the whole time.

Cars are routinely broken into in the parking garage. The garage is right off of the city street, where people get mugged/robbed/shot/stabbed. It's open to the street, so anyone can be lurking anywhere in the garage (if they know how to avoid the cameras).

Time to buy some pepper spray, and time to stop carrying any credit cards/cash/valuables.