Ally Cox had already started summer courses in an online doctoral program in nursing when the U of A's Razorbug pulled up to the front doors of the Pocahontas Medical Clinic to honor her for earning a bachelor's degree in nursing online.

Ginger Holloway, an instructor in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the U of A, presented a framed diploma for the bachelor's degree to Cox, a registered nurse at the clinic, on Aug. 1, the first day of the weeklong tour through eastern Arkansas. U of A faculty and staff also traveled with the Razorbug through western and southern Arkansas in June and July to present framed diplomas to graduates of online degree programs. More than 440 students graduated from online programs in May.

The Razorbug is a converted red Volkswagen Beetle that sports a Razorback snout, tail and razor-edged spine. It has been used for recruitment and special events since 2005.

Cox started working in the clinic's front office before training as a licensed practical nurse and later as a registered nurse. She wanted to continue advancing her nursing career and knew that an online degree was the way to go.

"I wanted to work full time and I love the U of A," said Cox, who also holds a bachelor's degree in public health from a U of A on-campus program. Several of her co-workers, as well as her husband and father, joined her for the presentation. "I also didn't want to leave Pocahontas. My whole family is in this area. A lot of programs in person I wouldn't be able to do. This program I could do after work and on weekends. I would tell other people to go for it, but you have to have motivation, and you have to be extremely committed. It's never a bad idea to further your education."

She wants to work as a family nurse practitioner, one of two concentrations for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Cox said the public health degree combined with her nursing education provide good building blocks for the direction she wants to take. More emphasis on public health programs is needed in areas such as Randolph County in the northeast corner of the state, she said.

"Primary care is very focused on prevention and wellness, which are the foundation of public health," she said. "The program planning skills I learned in my bachelor's degrees will also help with my family nurse practitioner program. I hope to continue working in Pocahontas when I'm a family nurse practitioner. Primary care is extremely important in our community."

She conducted research on hypertension with data from the Pocahontas Medical Clinic for a capstone project required for the bachelor's degree in nursing. She found 30 percent of patients at the clinic in 2019 were being treated for hypertension.

Holloway noted that Cox's capstone project demonstrated how online students impact the health of their community through her educational path in the R.N. to B.S.N. program. Support from the Pocahontas Medical Clinic allowed Cox to create a quality improvement project that benefited the clinic patients as part of her professional development in the online program.

"My main goal was to continue to work full time, and the online B.S.N. made that possible," Cox said. "My favorite part was the capstone project. That was pretty cool."

The Razorbug Diploma Tour was organized by the U of A's Global Campus. The Global Campus supports the academic colleges that offer more than 75 online degree, certificate, microcertificate and licensure programs. These programs are showcased on the U of A ONLINE website at online.uark.edu.