According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a nurse must have either a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree or a diploma from an approved training program. Programs are approved by the state. Each of these educational paths is a prerequisite for obtaining a nursing license, which allows a nurse to work in the field. According to the BLS, nurses advance in their profession based on their higher education.
Most nursing programs include a clinical rotation. This allows you to work in the field under the supervision of a registered nurse or doctor. The relevance of this training for a nurse is you will get to see many patients and different medical scenarios, which will prepare you for when you're working as a licensed nurse.
It's during the classroom portion of a nurse's education that you gain instruction in science courses such as pharmacology, biology and anatomy. The classroom education also includes classes on the legal and ethical issues in nursing. The classroom education prepares you to work in the field by teaching you skills such as administering medication, shock management for patients, breathing and airway techniques and general information about how the body works.