Informing your patients of your departure

Q:I've accepted a job offer from a competing practice and will start working for my new employer in four weeks. If my patients ask where I'm going, may I tell them?

A: It depends on what your contract with your current employer says. It may contain a noncompete clause relating to solicitation of patients. So before you tell anyone you're leaving, have your attorney clarify your situation with your employer and get in writing exactly what you can or cannot do.