Nikki Smith, Kentucky Lions Eye Bank
2022 Jachin Misko Scholarship Recipient
Being able to attend TES has been invaluable to me as a fairly new eye bank technician! I learned many things regarding the history of eye banking, QA standards, and many technical aspects that I did not know prior. I have a much broader picture of eye banking as a whole than I did before participating in TES. I am confident that having gone through TES it will help me prepare to take the CEBT in April.
It was a wonderful experience being able to meet fellow eye bankers from across the country. It also allowed me to see what other eye banks did in some of their policy and procedures. It also gave me insight into some areas that I do not work in and am not familiar with. That in itself was invaluable. TES provided me with a wealth of knowledge! I would highly recommend TES to any new eye bank technicians! Overall, it was a wonderful experience!
Kailynn Gilbert, Iowa Lions Eye Bank
2022 Jachin Misko Scholarship Recipient
I have been performing In-Situ recoveries since 2016. I can tell you almost everything involving the actual recovery process in Eye Banking. Once I was promoted last Summer, I learned a little bit about every part of Eye Banking, but not very much. Completing the TES opened my eyes to so much. I enjoyed learning the entire process, from the very first call to the donors NOK, to the actual transplant process.
I loved the case studies, breaking out into groups and learning different States protocols. Interacting with different Eye Banks was awesome, I know I am so focused on Iowa’s rules and regulations, I did not know about other States/Countries. I have learned so much about slit lamping, serologies, DE, processing, rule outs, rule ins, the list is ongoing. Thank you very much for this incredible opportunity and I cannot wait to implement everything I learned into my own training.
