Lunch/break question

I'm supposed to get lunch as well. I have closed the door and left, and the front office is pretty good about it.

I won't go to the faculty room, because Ugh, teachers.

Mostly I sit at my desk and shove food down my throat just like I have my entire nursing career.

I was worried about this at the start of the year, but it has been working out ok. After I figured out what time would work best, I emailed everyone with what time I would be taking my break. I hang a sign on the door, and I eat in the kitchenette/break room ( I don't go until 1pm, so its quiet). I share a room (wall dividers) with PT/OT/ST gals and am right next to several other classrooms with aides constantly in the hallways. So if I get interuppted at all, its usually just one of them saying "johnny came for his prn meds, I told him to come back in 20 min." or they will tell me when I get back that they gave someone a banddaid or an icepack. They are all great that way. I've actually only had to leave lunch early once and that was when a girl was "coming down the hall with blood gushing from her head". The secretaries will also just go ahead and call home for sick kids and send them out. I got great staff :)

I don't have this problem, thankfully. I certainly hope you clock out "no lunch" so you get paid for your "break."

Rarely get a lunch break. If I do, I have been interrupted for everything from tampons to dental floss. Yes, my principal knows. He is the one who came and got me for dental floss. I gave up fighting it and usually just eat lunch at my desk while I work.

I eat in the staff room and had to learn to say no. That was really hard for me. I had to remind myself that it is important that I eat and recharge, and that the kids get to eat so so do I! The little things will be OK until I'm done, and I'm still available for real emergencies.

And, luckily most of my teachers call before they send kids, so if I don't answer they don't send. I also put a sign on my door that I'm at lunch and to return later (I don't put a time because when I get interrupted at lunch I take that 5 extra minutes!). And believe me, I've had teachers brings students to see me in the staff room over little things!

I agree with the others to try and leave if you can, but if you can't, really try and get your teachers and administrators on board. The seasoned teachers don't even call during my designated lunch time! And if you miss your designated time, still take a lunch!

I am obviously very passionate about lunch! :) Good luck! You'll get into a groove that works for you.

For my first few years I tried to close my door and eat in my room and I was interrupted EVERY DAY! It really started to get to me so after that I started leaving my office and having lunch in the faculty room with some of my teacher friends. Most days they leave me alone and the front office staff deals with the minor problems, some days they call me on the walkie talkie but I am good about not coming unless it's an emergency. If it gets to be too many days in a row with nonsense calls, I leave the building for lunch and am unavailable. No one wants that so it kind of jolts them back to remembering that I am only to be called for EMERGENCIES. Paper cuts are not emergencies.

I agree with learning to say no!! If someone asks me for dental floss or any other minor silliness, I tell them to come back and give them a specific time to do so. If we don't respect our own right to eat lunch then nobody else will.

Did I do that my first several years??? No, it took time and many days going home with hypoglycemic induced headaches to toughen me up.

No lunchtime for me. Tried several years ago and it never flew. Constant "emergencies" and constant interruptions. I bring a sandwich every day. Sliced in four quarters. Takes me several hours to finish it because of meds and pseudo medical problems. I gave up.

Teachers would blow a gasket if they didn't get a "duty free" lunch.

Us......meh !!!

Definitely what everyone else has already said. Maybe you could break down what qualifies as "urgent/emergent" for your teachers/office staff if you haven't already. Talk to your admins and remind them that contractually, you get a lunch break, just like everyone else. Nobody works well on an empty stomach and nurses are not an exception!