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CHARLOTTE -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say quick thinking by a nurse outside Presbyterian Hospital may have kept her alive.

"She did the right thing. I always tell people never leave the initial scene with anybody because if they want your car, your phone, your money, let them have it. They don't need you," said Bob Fey with CMPD.

The nurse was attacked in the hospital employee parking lot as she walked to her car early Wednesday morning. It was the end of her shift and police say the suspect probably thought the woman would be an easy target.

"This is most likely what you are going to call a crime of opportunity," said Fey. "This guy had just been waiting across the street a little bit further away from the hospital and to see if he could get somebody who he thought was not paying attention."

Police say the woman refused to get in the car with the man. That's when he stabbed her several times in her shoulder. The nurse fought him off and ran back to the hospital. Self-defense experts say it was the smartest move she could have made.

"Usually when someone wants you to go somewhere with them, it becomes a second crime scene and that second crime is usually homicide. It's just not good," said Ed Byers a self-defense expert.

Byers says you can do things to protect yourself like taking a self-defense class. He also recommends having your keys and pepper spray handy so that you are prepared to defend yourself. He said you should always be aware of your surroundings.

Officials say the nurse is expected to recover from her injuries.

If you have any information on the suspect's whereabouts, you are asked to call Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.