Leading by example, patience, and a natural gift for teaching are a few of the qualities Terriann Jui uses when she trains new physical therapists to begin visiting patients at home for Kaiser Permanente.

Jui, who holds a doctorate in physical therapy, recently received the Preceptor Award from the American Physical Therapy Association’s Home Health Academy, an award given to just one physical therapist nationwide each year.

In making the award, the organization noted Jui’s “exemplary skills” in training new staff members, from appropriately interacting with patients, to communicating with doctors, to filling out the volumes of clinical and regulatory paperwork required for the job.

“Teaching new employees our system and how to do the work correctly is challenging, but I think it has helped me grow as a person and a clinician,” said Jui, who has been a physical therapist in Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s East Bay Home Health division for 5 years. “I know everyone learns differently, so it gives me a chance to work with each new physical therapist in different ways.”

Janis Ching, Jui’s supervisor who nominated her for the award, said Jui is “super smart, super organized, and a very caring clinician.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ching’s department has lost more than the usual number of home health physical therapists to retirement and other types of attrition, so people like Jui, who possess great teaching skills, are an extremely valuable asset to the organization.

“You really need someone who is going to set a high bar of expectations for the new employees, and she is able to do that because she is extremely patient, non-judgmental, and leads by example,” said Ching. “And she is well-loved by her colleagues.”

The Home Health Academy of the American Physical Therapy Association announced Jui’s Preceptor Award at its meeting February 4 in San Antonio.

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