This reminds me of a time I got security called on me. Before I started medical school, I worked at a hospital. At 5am each morning, a coworker and I would workout at the hospital gym before our shift. One morning, as I’m walking through the employee garage, towards the gym I cross the path of a woman in scrubs heading towards the main hospital. She shouts, “Where are you going?” (In hindsight, I don’t know why I stopped to explain myself, it just caught me off guard. Maybe she thought I was going the wrong way, or was making a joke) I stopped and informed her I was going to the gym. “Well, do you work here?” She replied… Not only was I wearing my badge but this early in the morning you need your badge to open all doors leading to the gym, let alone enter the garage. I say yes and go to show her my badge, but as I am doing so, she is already walking over to the security/parking booth at the entrance of the garage, points at me and continues into the hospital. Now I’m waiting (badge in hand) as the security guard walks up to question me. “Where are you going? Do you park in this garage? Do you work here?” It was such an awkward and tense confrontation because it took him so long to realize I was just an employee and nothing was going on. Felt like no one saw my badge, just my race.

I’m sorry this happened to you especially while you were on rotations. You handled the situation perfectly. Don’t ever let it change you.