Insurance for Instruments

[AndiB]

Hey everyone, I am an incoming student to UMDNJ, and we received a letter asking if we would like to opt for insurance on our instruments....now, here's the thing...costs $75, and $100 deductible, for insrruments costing around $2000...also, there are specific conditions..it's in case they "mysteriously disappear" (this is NOT coverage for a broken instrument)

has anyone else been or is currently in this situation? should i pay?

thanks a bunch in advance!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[crazy_sherm]

We aren't offered insurance at school, but I can tell you that stuff "disappears" all the time. It's quite upsetting actually that there are so many dishonest students at the school. Is it $75 for the whole 4 years? or per year? Unless it's per month, I think it would definitely be worth it.

 

[ToothMonkey]

We aren't offered insurance at school, but I can tell you that stuff "disappears" all the time. It's quite upsetting actually that there are so many dishonest students at the school. Is it $75 for the whole 4 years? or per year? Unless it's per month, I think it would definitely be worth it.

Agree 100%. Many of your classmates in dental school will be thieves. Lower your expectations now and you might save yourself some money down the road.

 

[AndiB]

Agree 100%. Many of your classmates in dental school will be thieves. Lower your expectations now and you might save yourself some money down the road.

thanks for the advice...it's actually 75 per year with the $100 deductible...maybe i should consider getting this

 

[TeethVader]

I would definitely go for insurance; my Highspeed grew legs two weeks after buying it. I cannot understand how can our patient trust us if we can't even trust our colleagues..damn it sucks!!!

 

[I'mFillingFine]

Is it any help to get those bands for the class where each person is assigned three colors that you put on all your instruments? I know some schools do it by color so that people are less likely to "mix up" the instruments

I imagine that wouldn't stop most, but for schools that don't offer insurance, are there any ways to ensure your instruments stay your instruments?

 

[ToothMonkey]

for schools that don't offer insurance, are there any ways to ensure your instruments stay your instruments?

Yeah, as you mentioned the colored bands would help with honest mix-ups, but they wouldn't do anything to stop your crooked classmates. I'm sure you can think of your own ways to safeguard expensive equipment, but here are a few ideas people use at my school:

-When leaving the lab always ask a friend to keep an eye on your stuff while you're gone. It doesn't matter if you're just stepping down the hall for a piss, don't leave your instruments unguarded.
-Even with someone watching your stuff consider throwing certain big ticket items in your pocket or at least taking them off the countertop and out of plain sight. For example, if you're not wearing your loupes around your neck they should be hidden away. Other expensive items to look out for include your handpieces, diamond bur box, & typodont teeth box.
-Don't leave your locker unlocked. Some people like to leave the combination lock set to open so they don't have to fiddle around with it every time they need an instrument. Bad idea.
-Some instruments lend themselves to being easily forgotten when leaving lab after a session--*especially* handpieces. If you are the forgetful type consider writing a reminder note about them and placing it somewhere you will always see it when leaving lab (e.g. in your instrument cassette, or in your locker at eye level).

Those precautions may seem paranoid but they're really very simple steps and can pay off bigtime. Maybe it's just my school but I know most of my class has lost instruments at some point so it is really a common problem.