Veterinary Technician Schools in Hawaii

Accredited Vet Tech Schools in Hawaii

Aspiring vet techs in Hawaii seeking official RVT status will need to seek out vet tech programs accredited by the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), a branch of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

To qualify for an accredited vet tech program, applicants typically need to send their official high school transcripts; show proof of prerequisite coursework (e.g., biology, chemistry, English, algebra, etc); offer copies of immunization records and/or health insurance; write a personal statement (500-600 words); and pay an application fee. Although test scores such as the SAT or ACT are not generally required, candidates whose second language is English may be required to submit TOEFL scores. Additionally, applicants may find it advantageous to have experience working with animals.

The sole CVTEA-accredited program in Hawaii is available at Windward Community College of Kaneohe, which offers an associate of science (AS) degree in veterinary technology in a full-time two-year on-campus or part-time three-year hybrid format. Both 73-credit programs are designed to train vet techs in 200 different skill sets as determined essential by the AVMA.

In both programs, students complete an initial certificate of achievement in veterinary assisting (VETA) in the beginning of the program. Once the VETA requirement is completed, students go through a competitive application process to be accepted into the associate in science in veterinary technology (VETT) program.

Courses for the VETT include anatomy and physiology of domestic animals; exotic and laboratory animal procedures; applied pharmacology; clinical lab techniques; anesthesia and surgical nursing techniques; companion animal nursing and nutrition; and more. There is also a course designed to review for the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE).

Students enrolled in the full-time, on-campus program will attend classes Monday through Friday, and participate in a mixture of classroom instruction, hands-on lab courses, and practical experiences with live animals in a lab setting. The hybrid program is designed to enable students currently working at veterinary facilities in Hawaii to learn while they work. Hybrid students take didactic coursework in an online format, and are expected to complete lab work on campus.

Hybrid students working on O’ahu will be expected to attend weekly lab courses on campus while those living on neighbor islands are expected to come to campus two to three times per semester for all-day lab intensives. 82.5 percent of Windward graduates passed the VTNE on their first try between 2020 and 2023.

Online Vet Tech Programs for Students in Hawaii

Luckily for residents of the Aloha State, there are also ten CVTEA-accredited, distance-based vet tech programs. These programs typically involve a combination of rigorous online coursework and clinical intensives to be completed at qualifying animal healthcare facilities near a student’s home. Hawaiians seeking this option are advised to ensure that there aren’t any “state authorization” restrictions (i.e., laws which limit the ability of certain states to provide online education to students residing in other states).

Penn Foster offers an online associate degree in veterinary technology wherein students learn the fundamentals of the discipline with courses such as: animal anatomy and physiology; veterinary office management and skill with people; medical nursing for veterinary technicians; medical mathematics; clinical pathology; clinical parasitology; radiography; and small and large animal medicine. Between 2021 and 2040, 75.2 percent of Penn Foster’s vet tech graduates passed the VTNE on their first attempt.

The prestigious Purdue University of Indiana also provides a part-time, distance-based associate program in veterinary technology. This online associate of applied science (AAS) comprises 27 classes such as anatomy; physiology; pharmacy procedures; diagnostic imaging; animal agriculture; small animal nursing; microbiology for vet techs; and management topics; as well as 18 corresponding clinical mentorships. This program typically takes five years to complete.

Notably, 89.6 percent of the distance-based program graduates between 2021 and 2024 passed the VTNE on their first attempt. Purdue University also offers an on-campus associate and bachelor’s program which boast a 86.6 percent VTNE first-time pass rate.

To discover the array of programs with web-based coursework, check out the online veterinary technology schools page.

Job Outlook for Vet Techs in Hawaii

The job outlook in veterinary technology in the US is expected to be promising in the coming decade. As proof of point, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2024) reported that there’s expected to be a 19 percent increase in openings for vet techs nationwide between 2023 and 2033, much more robust than the average growth predicted across all occupations during that time period (4 percent). This equates to 24,300 fresh positions in this field across the country.

Vet techs may seek employment at a variety of places, including veterinary clinics, hospitals, farms, aquariums, humane centers, kennels, zoos, shelters, universities, rescue organizations, government regulatory institutions, laboratories, wildlife sanctuaries, and other environments. Some of these professionals work normal business hours, while others may be called upon to work weekends, evenings, or holidays, dictated by the needs of their veterinary patients and emergency conditions.

Indeed (2025) posted jobs at places such as Animal House Veterinary Center, Big Island Pet Care Center, VCA Animal Hospitals, Kapaa Animal Clinic, Hawaii Island Humane Society, Ethos Veterinary Health. iHireVeterinary (2025) had job openings in Pearl City, Honolulu, and Kahului. There are ample opportunities for qualified vet techs across the Hawaiian islands in a variety of settings.

Vet techs who find they have a passion for a certain subfield of the animal medicine world may also choose to become a veterinary technician specialist in the years following graduation from their initial associate’s or bachelor’s level program.

According to the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA 2025), there’s a wealth of academies and societies—some which provide specialized certification—in areas including dermatology, anesthesia, animal behavior, clinical pathology, nutrition, equine nursing, and zoological medicine. To qualify for specialized credentialing as a VTS, applicants typically need 1,000 hours of experience in their subfield, letters of recommendation, proper training, and a passing score on an exam. While not a guarantee, pursuing a VTS may open a tech to a greater number of jobs and higher salaries than those without specialization.

An aspiring VTS can learn more about specialization options by visiting the main vet tech careers page.

Hawaii Vet Tech Salary

How much a veterinary technician can earn depends greatly on factors such as experience, location, specialization, and more. To create a frame of reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, May 2023) found that the 122,000 vet techs employed in the U.S. in 2023 made an average annual wage of $44,040. The following chart shows how vet tech’s earnings in Hawaii compare to national averages in a range of earning percentiles:

When looking at salaries, it’s important to take cost of living into consideration. While it is true that vet tech salaries in Hawaii are higher than national averages, this is most likely because Hawaii has the highest cost of living out of any state in the U.S.

According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC 2025), every measure of cost of living is higher than elsewhere in the country, with specific costliness in terms of housing and utilities. The higher vet tech salaries help vet techs to cope with the higher cost of living in the state.

Vet Tech Program Accreditation

The main programmatic accreditation organization for vet tech schools nationwide is the aforementioned Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), a branch of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The CVTEA evaluates a number of factors in its program approval process, including:

• Organizational effectiveness
• Quality of facilities & program staff
• School & program finance management
• Availability of libraries & student resources
• Admissions criteria
• Curriculum comprehensiveness
• Student outcomes (e.g., graduate VTNE pass rates)

To examine the full criteria for vet tech program approval, check out the CVTEA site.