Hawaii · home health aide (HHA)

Home Health Aide Training in Hawaii

How to become a home health aide in Hawaii: the routes that qualify you, who regulates home health agencies in Hawaii, pay, free training options, and all 51 state-approved CNA programs, since a CNA certification also qualifies you as a home health aide.

A home health aide caring for a client at home in Hawaii
$18.32median hourly pay for Hawaii home health and personal care aides
75 hrsminimum home health aide training under federal rules
51state-approved CNA programs listed below
6,150home health and personal care aides working in Hawaii

Your route

Two ways to qualify as a home health aide in Hawaii

Home health agencies in Hawaii are licensed by the Hawaii Office of Health Care Assurance. Medicare and Medicaid agencies must use aides who completed one of the federally approved routes. These are the two most common.

Fastest route

Become a CNA first

CNA

  • Finish a state-approved CNA program (listed below) and pass the state exam.
  • Under federal rules, a CNA in good standing on the state registry qualifies as a home health aide for Medicare and Medicaid agencies.
  • It also lets you work in nursing homes, where Hawaii CNAs earn a median $21.80 an hour.

Agency route

Home health aide training

75 hrs

  • At least 75 hours, including 16 hours of supervised hands-on practice.
  • Often run by home health agencies, which may train you if they hire you.
  • Then pass a competency evaluation given by a registered nurse.

Why we list CNA programs: under federal rules, a state-approved CNA program plus good standing on the Hawaii nurse aide registry qualifies you as a home health aide. It’s the route that opens the most doors. See our Hawaii CNA guide.

The steps

How to become a home health aide in Hawaii

The general path for most new aides.

  1. Pick your routeCNA training if you want the most options, or a home health aide course through an agency.
  2. Complete the trainingAt least 75 hours with 16 hands-on, or your state’s CNA hours.
  3. Pass the evaluationA competency evaluation for aides, or the state CNA exam.
  4. Apply to agenciesAgencies check your training and, for CNAs, the state registry before you start.

Keep your hours up. Federal rules require at least 12 hours of in-service training a year, and if you go 24 months in a row without paid aide work, you must retrain.

Home health aide vs. CNA

Home health aide or CNA in Hawaii?

The two jobs overlap, but the settings and pay differ.

Home health aideCNA
Where you workClients’ homes, through home health and hospice agenciesNursing homes and hospitals
Training75 hours federal minimum, or a CNA certificationState-approved CNA program
Official recordYour agency’s training and competency recordsThe Hawaii nurse aide registry
Median pay (HI)$18.32 an hour*$21.80 an hour

*Federal pay data groups home health aides with personal care aides. About 6,150 of them work in Hawaii.

Help paying

Free and funded training in Hawaii

Ways to cover the cost of training.

Get hired first

Many home health agencies train aides they hire, and nursing homes that hire you can’t charge you for CNA training under federal rules.

Grants and Job Corps

  • American Job Centers (WIOA): Your local American Job Center Hawaii can pay for approved training if you're unemployed, laid off, or low-income. labor.hawaii.gov/wdc

Directory

State-approved CNA programs in Hawaii

All 51 programs from our Hawaii CNA guide. Finishing one, passing the exam, and staying in good standing on the state registry also qualifies you as a home health aide for Medicare and Medicaid agencies.

51 programs
ProgramCityCountyPhone
Advanced Care TrainingOahuHonolulu(808) 623-1777
Care Giver Training SchoolOahuHonolulu(808) 848-9988
Career College of the PacificOahuHonolulu(808) 460-4575
CNA Hawaii InstituteMauiMaui(808) 280-0584
CNA School of HawaiiOahuHonolulu(808) 379-7751
CNA Solutions CenterOahuHonolulu(808) 744-0454
Hawaii CNA AcademyOahuHonolulu(808) 221-1091
Hawaii Healthcare Training by Sir Larry, A.MauiMaui(808) 357-5598
Hawaii Institute of Healthcare & Training ServicesHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 933-1295
Hawaii Medical InstituteOahuHonolulu(808) 237-5140
Healthcare School of HawaiiOahuHonolulu(808) 488-9449
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at Aloha Nursing & Rehab CentreOahuHonolulu(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at Hale Kupuna Heritage HomeKauaiKauai(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at Kula HospitalMauiMaui(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at Kulana MalamaOahuHonolulu(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at Legacy Hilo Rehab & NursingHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at MaluhiaOahuHonolulu(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at Maunalani Nursing & Rehabilitation CenterOahuHonolulu(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants at The VillasOahuHonolulu(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants, HonoluluOahuHonolulu(808) 843-2211
Healthcare Training & Career Consultants, KaneoheOahuHonolulu(808) 843-2211
Hoaloha Nurse Aide TrainingOahuHonolulu(808) 292-4665
Hoku's Nurse Aide Training ProgramHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 960-4163
Hopena Kuloli Medical Training InstituteHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 304-1015
Island Temporary Nursing – Hawaii Healthcare SchoolOahuHonolulu(808) 791-5825
IslandCPRHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 326-7836
IslandCPR at Hale Ho'ola Hamakua LabHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 326-7836
IslandCPR at Hilo Benioff Medical Center, Extended Care DepartmentHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 326-7836
Kapiolani Community CollegeOahuHonolulu(630) 439-4987
Kapiolani Community College, Non-Credit ProgramOahuHonolulu(808) 734-9540
Kauai Community CollegeKauaiKauai(808) 245-8249
Kauai Nurse Aide Training CenterKauaiKauai(808) 635-3071
Leeward Community CollegeOahuHonolulu(808) 455-0470
Life Care Center of KonaHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 322-2790
Maunalua Bay CNA Training ProgramOahuHonolulu(808) 729-8592
Ohana Pacific Management at Pu'uwai 'O Makaha Health ServicesOahuHonolulu(808) 245-1820
Ohana Pacific Management Co. at Garden Isle Rehabilitation & HealthcareKauaiKauai(808) 245-1820
Ohana Pacific Management Co. at Hale Kupuna Heritage HomeKauaiKauai(808) 742-7591
Ohana Pacific Management Co. at The VillasOahuHonolulu(808) 547-6000
ON-Site Nurse Aide TrainingOahuHonolulu(808) 232-3891
Pacific Rim Christian UniversityOahuHonolulu(808) 518-4791
Paramedical Services & Training Center of KonaHawaii IslandHawaii(808) 322-2790
Professional Healthcare Educators, HonoluluOahuHonolulu(808) 847-3366
Professional Healthcare Educators, WaipahuOahuHonolulu(808) 847-3366
The Plaza Assisted Living/Plaza Staffing Solutions, KaneoheOahuHonolulu(808) 235-5055
University of Hawaii Maui College, KahuluiMauiMaui(808) 984-3450
University of Hawaii Maui College, LanaiLanaiMaui(808) 565-8001
University of Hawaii Maui College, MolokaiMolokaiMaui(808) 553-4490
University of Hawaii Maui College, Office of Extended Learning & Workforce DevelopmentMauiMaui(808) 984-3450
West Kauai Nurse Aide Training, LihueKauaiKauai(808) 346-1916
Windward Community CollegeOahuHonolulu(808) 235-7304

Tip: ask each program whether it also offers a home health aide add-on. For details, costs, and exam steps, see our Hawaii CNA guide.

Hawaii CNA trainingSteps, costs, and every approved program CNA classes near meSearch programs by ZIP code Caregiver pay by stateCNA and aide pay compared

FAQ

Hawaii home health aide questions

Short answers to what people ask most.

Does Hawaii certify home health aides?

Home health aides in Hawaii work for home health agencies licensed by the Hawaii Office of Health Care Assurance. Medicare and Medicaid agencies must hire aides who meet the federal training and competency rules. Ask the agency you're applying to which credential it requires.

How do I become a home health aide in Hawaii?

The two most common routes are completing a 75-hour home health aide training and competency evaluation, or becoming a CNA. Federal rules count a CNA in good standing on the Hawaii nurse aide registry as a qualified home health aide.

How much do home health aides make in Hawaii?

The median pay for home health and personal care aides in Hawaii is $18.32 an hour, about $38,110 a year, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey. Hawaii CNAs earn a median $21.80 an hour.

Can a CNA work as a home health aide?

Yes, for Medicare and Medicaid home health agencies, if the CNA completed a state-approved program and is listed in good standing on the state nurse aide registry.

Do home health aides need yearly training?

Yes. Federal rules require at least 12 hours of in-service training every 12 months for aides at Medicare and Medicaid agencies.

Sources: Hawaii Office of Health Care Assurance; our Hawaii CNA guide (state-approved program list); 42 CFR 484.80, Home health aide services; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Last checked October 2026. See something out of date? Report a correction.