NURS 315
Gerontological Nursing
COURSE ORIENTATION
Jennifer Vander Meer, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Summer 2026 | AdventHealth University Denver
SEGMENT 01
Welcome & Who We Are
On camera — Jennifer Vander Meer, MSN, RN | No slide needed
SEGMENT 02 | Course at a Glance
14
35
Credits
Weeks
Modules
Chapters
Mondays • 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Textbook
Touhy & Jett • Toward Healthy Aging, 11th Edition
All 35 chapters are assigned — we use every one. A two-tier reading strategy is provided: Deep Study (exam-tested) vs. Reading for Context (awareness only).
Three Course Frameworks
Neuman's Systems Model
CJMM
Whole Person Care
Clinical Judgment Measurement Model
The AHU Lens
Understand the aging person holistically — physical, psychological, social, developmental, and spiritual. Explains how stressors affect health and guide nursing intervention.
The framework behind the Next Generation NCLEX. Recognize cues → Analyze → Prioritize → Act → Evaluate. Every exam question is built around this thinking model.
Our patients are not diagnoses. Spiritual lives, families, cultures, and purposes matter — especially when walking with patients through the last chapters of their lives.
SEGMENT 03 | Navigating Canvas — Left Navigation
Transition to live Canvas screen share. Walk through each item:
🏠 Home
Contact info, current week link, and announcements — check this first every time you log in.
📋 Syllabus
Policies, key dates, grading breakdown. Read it front to back before Week 1.
📦 Modules
Your primary content hub. 90% of your time lives here. Every week, same 5-section structure.
✅ Assignments
Checklist view of everything with a due date. Use this to plan your week.
📊 Grades
Always visible, always up to date. You should never be surprised by where you stand.
Every Module — Same 5-Section Structure
START HERE: Week Overview
Explore
Open first, every week. Learning outcomes, why it matters, clinical hook.
Prepare for Class
Explore / Learn
Readings with page numbers + Sherpath — completed BEFORE Monday. Non-negotiable.
In-Class Materials
Learn / Practice
Slides, handouts, and case studies used during the Monday session.
Learning Materials
Reinforce
Pre-recorded lectures, self-assessment questions, and your Study Dashboard.
Wrap-Up & Self-Check
Reflect / Reinforce
Reflect, preview next week, gauge your readiness before the exam does.
SEGMENT 04 | The ELPRR Framework: How Every Class Works
Explore
Learn
Practice
Reflect
Reinforce
10–15 min
25–30 min
35–45 min
10–15 min
10–15 min
Activate prior knowledge. Clinical question, poll, or think-pair-share.
Focused lecture. Key concepts only — NOT a first exposure to content.
Case studies, role-plays, clinical application. The biggest block. This is the learning.
Slow down and consolidate. 1-minute papers, debrief, connection-making.
Bridge forward. Key takeaways and preview of next week.
Practice is always the largest phase — class is never a first exposure to content.
SEGMENT 05 | Active Learning & Presence
Prepare. Show Up. Engage.
📚 Do the preparation before Monday.
Readings and Sherpath are required pre-work, not supplementary. Class assumes you've done them.
💬 Engage during the Practice phase.
Share your thinking, work through cases, take intellectual risks. Make mistakes here — before the exam finds them.
🤝 Be present for your team.
Your preparation affects your peers. Collaborative activities depend on everyone arriving ready.
📅 Your attendance matters.
When a chair is empty on Monday, we feel it. The discussions are richer when everyone is there.
SEGMENT 06 | Grading Breakdown
45%
Modular Exams
3 exams × 15% each
30%
Assignments
Sherpath/Quizzes 20% + Client Assessment 10%
20%
Team Project
Presentation — Week 13, July 27
5%
HESI Specialty Exam
Week 14, Aug 3 — nationally normed
Grade Policies — Know These Before Day 1
🎯
77% Required to Pass
A C+ is the minimum for the theory component. There is NO rounding of final grades. A 76.9% is a 76.9%. Manage your grade actively all trimester.
Late Work = Zero
No exceptions for quizzes, assignments, or the team project. Due dates are in Canvas from Day 1. A missed deadline is a zero — plan accordingly.
Quizzes Cannot Be Made Up
Missed Sherpath quiz = zero. No make-up, no exception. No entry or non-participation also generates a zero.
SEGMENT 07 | The Three Modular Exams
EXAM 1
EXAM 2
EXAM 3
June 1 • Week 5
June 22 • Week 8
July 13 • Week 11
Scope:
Modules 1–3
Scope:
Modules 4–5
Scope:
Modules 6–8
Chapters:
Ch 1–11, 30, 32
Chapters:
Ch 12–19, 23, 24, 27
Chapters:
Ch 20–22, 25–26, 28–29, 31, 33–35
Count:
13 chapters
Count:
11 chapters
Count:
11 chapters
Prep:
3 teaching weeks
Prep:
2 teaching weeks
Prep:
2 weeks (split sessions)
ExamSoft • Download & test before Week 1 • Exam download disabled 15 min before class • Arrive early on exam days
What's On the Exams — And How to Study
These are NOT recall questions. You cannot memorize your way through them.
🏥 Scenario-Based
Every question presents a clinical patient scenario — read, identify cues, analyze, choose the best nursing action.
🧠 CJMM-Aligned
Built around the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model — the same framework as the Next Generation NCLEX.
❓ Understand the 'Why'
Why does an older adult present with confusion instead of fever? Why is that drug on the Beers Criteria? The 'why' is the answer.
✏️ Practice Phase = Exam Prep
Every case study and role-play on Monday is building your ability to think through exam questions. Not an accident.
SEGMENT 08 | HESI RN Gerontology NGN Specialty Exam
Week 14
5%
900
August 3rd
of Final Grade
Benchmark Score
Last day of trimester
Small % — significant exam
Elsevier recommended minimum
Score Conversion: 1000+ = 100% 950 = 95% 900 = 90% 850 = 85% 750 = 75%
What You Need to Know
- Score is reported directly from Elsevier — not from your screen.
- Remediation via Evolve Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) is required after the exam — mandatory for progression.
- This exam drove the course redesign — gap areas targeted: pharmacology/Beers, elimination, dementia/3 Ds, MSK, immunosenescence.
- Study Dashboards + Week 12 HESI Prep are your runway. Engage with them all trimester.
SEGMENT 09 | Team Project & Presentations
👥
20% of your final grade
The team project carries significant weight. Treat it as an ongoing commitment, not a last-minute deliverable.
📌
Teams assigned by faculty
You don't choose your team — in clinical practice, you don't choose your team either. This is intentional.
📅
Presentations: Week 13 — July 27
Present to the class. Written project due Sunday July 20 — the Sunday ending Week 12.
📋
Rubric available from Day 1
No surprises. Open the rubric in Canvas Week 1 and discuss your approach as a team early.
Start in Weeks 1–2
Teams that succeed meet early, divide clearly, and do not try to pull it together the final week.
SEGMENT 10 | 14-Week Calendar Walkthrough
Wks 1–3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wks 6–7
Wk 8
May 4–18
May 25
June 1
June 8–15
June 22
Modules 1, 2, 3
MEMORIAL DAY
EXAM 1
Modules 4, 5
EXAM 2
Foundation & Assessment
No Class — Use for review
Modules 1–3
Sensory & Body Systems
Modules 4–5
Wks 9–10
Wk 11
Wk 12
Wk 13
Wk 14
June 29–July 6
July 13
July 20
July 27
Aug 3
Modules 6, 7, 8
EXAM 3
HESI Prep / Review
Team Presentations
HESI Specialty Exam
Split Sessions ⚠️ DENSE
Modules 6–8
All 8 modules — your runway
Project due July 20
All 35 chapters
SEGMENT 11 | Five Ways to Succeed in This Course
Do readings & Sherpath before Monday — every week, no exceptions.
Class assumes preparation. You'll feel it immediately if you don't.
Engage during the Practice phase.
That's where learning happens. Don't be a spectator.
Use your Study Dashboards.
One per module + Exam Review + HESI Prep. Built around the exam blueprint.
Watch Weeks 9 & 10 — start those readings early.
The most content-dense class days of the trimester. Come in ready.
Come to Week 12 ready to review.
The prep is the path. Week 12 is your runway, not your starting point.
SEGMENT 12 | Closing
See you on Monday, May 4th.
Let's have a great trimester.
Jennifer Vander Meer, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing • AdventHealth University Denver
Email: [your email here]
Office Hours: [your hours and location]
Responds within 24 hours on weekdays
Your first step → Open Canvas → Week 1 → START HERE
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Transcript
NURS 315
Gerontological Nursing
COURSE ORIENTATION
Jennifer Vander Meer, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Summer 2026 | AdventHealth University Denver
SEGMENT 01
Welcome & Who We Are
On camera — Jennifer Vander Meer, MSN, RN | No slide needed
SEGMENT 02 | Course at a Glance
14
35
Credits
Weeks
Modules
Chapters
Mondays • 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Textbook
Touhy & Jett • Toward Healthy Aging, 11th Edition
All 35 chapters are assigned — we use every one. A two-tier reading strategy is provided: Deep Study (exam-tested) vs. Reading for Context (awareness only).
Three Course Frameworks
Neuman's Systems Model
CJMM
Whole Person Care
Clinical Judgment Measurement Model
The AHU Lens
Understand the aging person holistically — physical, psychological, social, developmental, and spiritual. Explains how stressors affect health and guide nursing intervention.
The framework behind the Next Generation NCLEX. Recognize cues → Analyze → Prioritize → Act → Evaluate. Every exam question is built around this thinking model.
Our patients are not diagnoses. Spiritual lives, families, cultures, and purposes matter — especially when walking with patients through the last chapters of their lives.
SEGMENT 03 | Navigating Canvas — Left Navigation
Transition to live Canvas screen share. Walk through each item:
🏠 Home
Contact info, current week link, and announcements — check this first every time you log in.
📋 Syllabus
Policies, key dates, grading breakdown. Read it front to back before Week 1.
📦 Modules
Your primary content hub. 90% of your time lives here. Every week, same 5-section structure.
✅ Assignments
Checklist view of everything with a due date. Use this to plan your week.
📊 Grades
Always visible, always up to date. You should never be surprised by where you stand.
Every Module — Same 5-Section Structure
START HERE: Week Overview
Explore
Open first, every week. Learning outcomes, why it matters, clinical hook.
Prepare for Class
Explore / Learn
Readings with page numbers + Sherpath — completed BEFORE Monday. Non-negotiable.
In-Class Materials
Learn / Practice
Slides, handouts, and case studies used during the Monday session.
Learning Materials
Reinforce
Pre-recorded lectures, self-assessment questions, and your Study Dashboard.
Wrap-Up & Self-Check
Reflect / Reinforce
Reflect, preview next week, gauge your readiness before the exam does.
SEGMENT 04 | The ELPRR Framework: How Every Class Works
Explore
Learn
Practice
Reflect
Reinforce
10–15 min
25–30 min
35–45 min
10–15 min
10–15 min
Activate prior knowledge. Clinical question, poll, or think-pair-share.
Focused lecture. Key concepts only — NOT a first exposure to content.
Case studies, role-plays, clinical application. The biggest block. This is the learning.
Slow down and consolidate. 1-minute papers, debrief, connection-making.
Bridge forward. Key takeaways and preview of next week.
Practice is always the largest phase — class is never a first exposure to content.
SEGMENT 05 | Active Learning & Presence
Prepare. Show Up. Engage.
📚 Do the preparation before Monday.
Readings and Sherpath are required pre-work, not supplementary. Class assumes you've done them.
💬 Engage during the Practice phase.
Share your thinking, work through cases, take intellectual risks. Make mistakes here — before the exam finds them.
🤝 Be present for your team.
Your preparation affects your peers. Collaborative activities depend on everyone arriving ready.
📅 Your attendance matters.
When a chair is empty on Monday, we feel it. The discussions are richer when everyone is there.
SEGMENT 06 | Grading Breakdown
45%
Modular Exams
3 exams × 15% each
30%
Assignments
Sherpath/Quizzes 20% + Client Assessment 10%
20%
Team Project
Presentation — Week 13, July 27
5%
HESI Specialty Exam
Week 14, Aug 3 — nationally normed
Grade Policies — Know These Before Day 1
🎯
77% Required to Pass
A C+ is the minimum for the theory component. There is NO rounding of final grades. A 76.9% is a 76.9%. Manage your grade actively all trimester.
Late Work = Zero
No exceptions for quizzes, assignments, or the team project. Due dates are in Canvas from Day 1. A missed deadline is a zero — plan accordingly.
Quizzes Cannot Be Made Up
Missed Sherpath quiz = zero. No make-up, no exception. No entry or non-participation also generates a zero.
SEGMENT 07 | The Three Modular Exams
EXAM 1
EXAM 2
EXAM 3
June 1 • Week 5
June 22 • Week 8
July 13 • Week 11
Scope:
Modules 1–3
Scope:
Modules 4–5
Scope:
Modules 6–8
Chapters:
Ch 1–11, 30, 32
Chapters:
Ch 12–19, 23, 24, 27
Chapters:
Ch 20–22, 25–26, 28–29, 31, 33–35
Count:
13 chapters
Count:
11 chapters
Count:
11 chapters
Prep:
3 teaching weeks
Prep:
2 teaching weeks
Prep:
2 weeks (split sessions)
ExamSoft • Download & test before Week 1 • Exam download disabled 15 min before class • Arrive early on exam days
What's On the Exams — And How to Study
These are NOT recall questions. You cannot memorize your way through them.
🏥 Scenario-Based
Every question presents a clinical patient scenario — read, identify cues, analyze, choose the best nursing action.
🧠 CJMM-Aligned
Built around the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model — the same framework as the Next Generation NCLEX.
❓ Understand the 'Why'
Why does an older adult present with confusion instead of fever? Why is that drug on the Beers Criteria? The 'why' is the answer.
✏️ Practice Phase = Exam Prep
Every case study and role-play on Monday is building your ability to think through exam questions. Not an accident.
SEGMENT 08 | HESI RN Gerontology NGN Specialty Exam
Week 14
5%
900
August 3rd
of Final Grade
Benchmark Score
Last day of trimester
Small % — significant exam
Elsevier recommended minimum
Score Conversion: 1000+ = 100% 950 = 95% 900 = 90% 850 = 85% 750 = 75%
What You Need to Know
SEGMENT 09 | Team Project & Presentations
👥
20% of your final grade
The team project carries significant weight. Treat it as an ongoing commitment, not a last-minute deliverable.
📌
Teams assigned by faculty
You don't choose your team — in clinical practice, you don't choose your team either. This is intentional.
📅
Presentations: Week 13 — July 27
Present to the class. Written project due Sunday July 20 — the Sunday ending Week 12.
📋
Rubric available from Day 1
No surprises. Open the rubric in Canvas Week 1 and discuss your approach as a team early.
Start in Weeks 1–2
Teams that succeed meet early, divide clearly, and do not try to pull it together the final week.
SEGMENT 10 | 14-Week Calendar Walkthrough
Wks 1–3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wks 6–7
Wk 8
May 4–18
May 25
June 1
June 8–15
June 22
Modules 1, 2, 3
MEMORIAL DAY
EXAM 1
Modules 4, 5
EXAM 2
Foundation & Assessment
No Class — Use for review
Modules 1–3
Sensory & Body Systems
Modules 4–5
Wks 9–10
Wk 11
Wk 12
Wk 13
Wk 14
June 29–July 6
July 13
July 20
July 27
Aug 3
Modules 6, 7, 8
EXAM 3
HESI Prep / Review
Team Presentations
HESI Specialty Exam
Split Sessions ⚠️ DENSE
Modules 6–8
All 8 modules — your runway
Project due July 20
All 35 chapters
SEGMENT 11 | Five Ways to Succeed in This Course
Do readings & Sherpath before Monday — every week, no exceptions.
Class assumes preparation. You'll feel it immediately if you don't.
Engage during the Practice phase.
That's where learning happens. Don't be a spectator.
Use your Study Dashboards.
One per module + Exam Review + HESI Prep. Built around the exam blueprint.
Watch Weeks 9 & 10 — start those readings early.
The most content-dense class days of the trimester. Come in ready.
Come to Week 12 ready to review.
The prep is the path. Week 12 is your runway, not your starting point.
SEGMENT 12 | Closing
See you on Monday, May 4th.
Let's have a great trimester.
Jennifer Vander Meer, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing • AdventHealth University Denver
Email: [your email here]
Office Hours: [your hours and location]
Responds within 24 hours on weekdays
Your first step → Open Canvas → Week 1 → START HERE