Pyliea Foster is a Cashier at the Lobby Cafe.
Please join the Center for Nursing Excellence in congratulating Pyliea Foster – for being selected as the September BEE Award winner!
Pyliea Foster is a Cashier at the Lobby Cafe and was nominated by a co-worker. The following is the story of how Pyliea impacted their lives in a way that they will never forget.
Nomination:
On behalf of myself and the other ADON on duty, J. Tipton, we would like to formally recognize Pyliea Foster for her exceptional actions during a recent medical emergency involving a fellow employee. My partner and I both responded as part of the emergency response team that was dispatched to an incident in the lobby café on 7/30/2026. I witnessed Pyliea lying flat on her back on a hard concrete kitchen floor with half of her body selflessly under that of a fellow coworker. She was doing this all while so delicately using both arms and hands not to support herself but instead supporting the head of her mildly conscious coworker off the hard concrete in a manner that would prevent her from choking during this time.
Pyliea recognized that their coworker was not acting normally and immediately went to check on her. As the employee suddenly began to collapse, Pyliea placed her own body between the employee and the ground and supported her body before she struck the floor, preventing what would have likely caused significant head trauma. Pyliea’s rapid assessment of the situation and immediate selfless intervention demonstrated outstanding judgment and an unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of others.
In a high-stress and rapidly evolving situation, Pyliea remained calm, acted decisively, and exemplified the teamwork, compassion, and selflessness we strive to foster throughout our organization. Her actions went well beyond routine expectations and likely prevented significant additional harm to her coworker.
I respectfully recommend that Pyliea receive formal recognition for her exemplary response and commitment to the safety of fellow UAMS employees. The actions I witnessed, as well as those that occurred before my arrival and were reported by other coworkers, are quite astonishing. Pyliea’s dedication to safety and compassion was touching to my partner and I and another humble reminder of what a privilege it is to work with so many amazing humans like we have throughout our campus at UAMS.
Respectfully,
Adam Blackerby BSN, RN
Assistant Director of Nursing
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
4301 W. Markham St., #529
Little Rock, AR 72205-7199
Main: 501-320-7093
Mitel: 10802
Email: ablackerby@uams.edu
Please congratulate Pyliea for Being Exceptional Every day at UAMS!
Way to go Pyliea!