Introduction Clinical placements have routinely been offered to students in generalist areas (for example medical / surgery wards) or at times in high acuity areas (for example critical care / emergency) in acute care hospitals. In 2009, 3rd year undergraduate nursing students completed their clinical placement in an acute care specialised clinical area where undergraduate students have not normally undertaken clinical placement. In these clinical areas there are numerous procedures that students cannot undertake and the nature of the patients with renal and oncology diseases are very different from their previous placements. This evaluation has provided valuable information to improve student learning outcomes and meet registered nurse expectations during student placement. Methods This evaluation used semi structured interviews to provide an insight into the placement of student nurses into speciality clinical areas. Interviews were conducted with 13 registered nurses working with the students and 7 3rd year final semester students placed in these areas. A thematic analysis was used to identify themes within the transcripts. Results Several key themes were identified from the students transcripts such as the need for specific information on the diseases treated in the area and the value of seeing excellence in team nursing. The themes from the registered nurses related to; needing understanding of student knowledge level, support for student debrief especially with difficult students and enjoying the education role. Conclusion This paper aims to provide information improve students experience in these speciality clinical areas and provide appropriate academic support for the registered nurses.