BACKGROUND Clinical-phase learning is integral to medical education, increasingly challenged by a rising student population. Prior research has presented conflicting findings on students' preferences for following doctors at different stages of their career. Moreover, evaluations of clerkships across specialties vary significantly. This study explored medical students' perceptions about who they received the best clinical teaching from and why. METHODS A survey was conducted among 4th- to 6th-year medical students at Tampere University, Finland. Information was sought from participants on aspects regarding from whom and where they believed they received the best clinical teaching: doctors' properties (age group and career stage) and setting (field of specialty and location). Open-ended responses were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS We obtained 262 responses, yielding an overall response rate of 62%. Predominantly, respondents favoured resident doctors (54%), young doctors aged 25-34 years (41%), university hospitals (34%) and the field of internal medicine (25%). Common reasons cited included instructors dedicating time for teaching, enthusiasm about teaching and attentiveness to students. However, over half of the themes were related to specific answer options. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that Finnish medical students most commonly prefer to receive clinical teaching from residents and young doctors. Nevertheless, exposure to doctors at their different career stages and in various settings is perceived as valuable. To enhance clinical teaching, organisations should allocate adequate time and encourage doctors to engage actively with students, understanding their individual learning needs and fostering independent participation.