A dream fulfilled

He is not an actor or a singer but he is famous. Ray A. Gapuz is perhaps the best nursing reviewer in the country today. And his story is one that is sure to make the Filipino proud. Ray is the president of the R.A. Gapuz Review Center, the country’s No. 1 nursing review center. He started with a simple dream and turned it into a reality with his faith in God, hard work, perseverance, humility and sharp business acumen.

Ray opened his first review center in Dagupan City, Pangasinan in 1994 with only three students. With a P35,000 loan from his mother, who had sold their bakery, Ray established a nursing review center with two employees — his Mom Evangeline and Dad Ricarte Sr.

Today, R. A. Gapuz Review Center takes pride in having produced board topnotchers and having one of the highest rates of passing examinees. It is the first and only review center in the Philippines that uses an on-line registration system, a hands-on review for the NCLEX, and a satellite technology to bring its review classes nationwide. Ray says, “We want to come up with innovative review centers that break the rules of traditional teaching. It has a younger set of faculty and experts. We have innovative review programs that integrate technology with live lectures. We have also created our own software. The Ray A. Gapuz Push or Pull Nursing Concepts Mastery Game Board and the Ray A. Gapuz Nursing Review Memory Game Cards are now available.”

As a student, Ray was top of his class. He excelled in academics and participated in oration, declamation and spelling bee contests. He also joined extracurricular activities.

He wanted to take up biology or broadcasting in college but he followed his mother’s advice to study nursing since he comes from a family of nurses — a sister, five aunts and five cousins are all nurses. Ray graduated cum laude in BS Nursing in 1992 and summa cum laude in Masters of Arts in Nursing in 1998 from the University of Santo Tomas. 

As a young boy, Ray has already displayed his entrepreneurial skills — a trait that proved to be useful later in life. Ray earned money from selling candy, fruits, food and balloons. He spared his parents from financial concerns like buying him clothes, school supplies and giving him allowance. A thoughtful son and brother to his parents and three sisters, Ray would often give them gifts and greeting cards. 

While earning his diploma in college, Ray worked at a Jollibee outlet. Who would know that after a few years, Ray will stand side by side with his former employer Tony Tan Caktiong, top honcho of Jollibee Foods Corp., who was one of the judges when Ray received an award for business excellence from Ernst & Young at the World Summit in Singapore in 2005?

As a teacher, he is well-loved by his students. He is fondly called Sir Ray by his students and former reviewees who walked through the corridors of his review centers. His former students would write and profusely express their gratitude to Ray because he is “an angel in disguise,” “made all the difference,” “serves as an inspiration to all the nurses,” “miracle on the lives of every nurses,” and “his gift of faith, light, laughter, zest for life, peace and hope.”

Ray is internationally recognized for his expertise and is often invited to attend seminars, symposia, and various speaking engagements in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. He is the only Filipino in his line of business to be invited as a nursing reviewer in Ireland. He was a contributor to the International Journal of Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing of Wales. Ray was once assigned to a special area at the Wellington Hospital in Florida, USA which invited him to a two-week Facility and Orientation Tour. He also took up a short course on Natural Remedies for Psychiatric Disorders by the Department of Continuing Education of the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

An outstanding entrepreneur, he has several awards and achievements tucked under his belt like the Marquis Who’s Who in the World (2008), 50 Inspiring Filipino Entrepreneurs (2007), Mansmith and Fielders’ Young Market Masters Awards for Entrepreneurship (2006), AGORA Award for Entrepreneurship (2006), among others.

“I am grateful for all the blessings God has given me. Everything that happened in my life has a purpose. I wouldn’t be asking for anything more. What took others a long time to achieve, I did it at such a young age.” How would Ray want to be remembered? “Someone who has dedicated his life to service,” he enthused.  

St. Joseph’s alumni homecoming

Calling all graduates of St. Joseph School in Pandacan. There will be an alumni homecoming on Feb. 28 at SJS Quadrangle. For details, call Chona Candelaria Pamatpat at 563-2624 or 0922-2267992.