Colleen McQueen, RN

Colleen McQueen, RN, has dedicated her life to helping others. A nurse at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center since 1996, she spent much of her career in the Pediatric ICU, perfecting her skills.

In 2004, Ms. McQueen was tasked with caring for an extremely ill 13-month-old boy who was in the care of the Division of Youth and Family Services. This child resided in the hospital since birth. It was love at first sight. Within one month, Devin had a new home with Ms. McQueen and her family. Her children, Raymond and Caitlin, embraced their new sibling and together, the

McQueen family began a most remarkable journey. Ms. McQueen cared for Devin while dedicating time to countless initiatives to benefit ill children. She facilitated Play-Doh, Band-Aid and Matchbox car drives to provide entertainment and distraction for children during hospital visits. She collected clothing and coats for a women and children’s shelter, and school bags with supplies for children with cancer and sickle cell diseases.

For the last 14 years, Ms. McQueen worked tirelessly to extend and enrich Devin’s life. Her efforts gave Devin astonishing life experiences. Every person who knew Devin benefitted from his exuberant presence. Sadly, Devin succumbed to his illnesses in July 2019.

Since Devin’s passing, Ms. McQueen has spearheaded an incredibly successful coat drive for children with cancer and sickle cell diseases and has volunteered as a nurse for The Sunshine Kids, an organization that takes children with cancer on trips. Her children have followed in her footsteps of service and have pursued firefighting and nursing careers.

She has worked in many pediatric areas of the hospital, always focused on patient safety and family support. Her work was recognized in 2017, when she was awarded the Core Value Award for Customer Satisfaction. Also in 2017, she was awarded the Lester Z. Lieberman Humanism in Healthcare Award through The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

There are countless young nurses she has trained and colleagues she has supported and inspired. Ms. McQueen courageously gave Devin 15 years of a life and has impacted hundreds of children and families who will never forget her!