Pine Island school nurse receives distinguished award

PINE ISLAND, Minn. (KTTC) – Kimberly Pokrandt, one of two licensed nurses working in the Pine Island school district, is receiving the 2026 Minnesota Nurse of the Year Award, granted by the School Nurse Organization of Minnesota (SNOM).

A colleague of Pokrandt’s, another nurse whom she helped train, nominated her for the award.

Pokrandt has been working as a nurse for 25 years, 12 of those years she has been a Pine Island school nurse.

She began her career at Mayo Clinic, working nights in the neonatal ICU before transitioning into school nursing in order to spend more time with her children.

Among her work at Pine Island Public Schools, Pokrandt focuses on self-care and self-advocacy for students, helping them develop their own healthcare skills.

“So little things, like how do you take care of that cut? How do you wash that cut? Because we’re practicing to be adults,” Pokrandt says. “So, as they transition through these middle school years and get into high school, it’s really important for them to develop these skills.”

For Pokrandt, the students are the most rewarding aspect of her work.

“It’s a little thing maybe to me to help them with a cut or a bleed or giving them medication every day or helping them through a panic attack... But then in the future, when they come back and say:” you made the difference...” that’s the best,” Pokrandt continues.

In November, the SNOM will host an official award ceremony for Pokrandt at its annual conference.

Find stories like this and more, in our apps.