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Introduction: Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) is essential for optimizing patient outcomes in health care settings. Experiential learning (EL) is a method of modeling ICP to students during their education. No studies have evaluated the lasting impact of EL on self-reported clinical practice after students graduate. The aims of this study are to (a) examine what opportunities for ICP are available for alumni in current health care settings and (b) explore the early career impact of interprofessional EL on self-reported current clinical practice. Methods: This study utilized a mixed-methods design using descriptive statistics and a phenomenological approach. Participants included Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) alumni who previously participated as graduate students in Balanced Families (BF), an interprofessional EL program. Sixty-four alumni were contacted through e-mail, of which 17 (27%) agreed to be interviewed. Results: Quantitative data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics to describe demographics and summarize Likert scale responses. Qualitative data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Five major themes were reflected in the transcripts: (a) The impact of interprofessional experiential learning on future clinical practice, (b) The value of holistic approaches, (c) The collaboration in holistic care, (d) The interconnected health care system and family system, and (e) The development of empathy for patients and their families. Discussion: Interprofessional EL positively impacted DPT and MAMFT alumni, improving interprofessional communication skills and leading to more holistic approaches to care. Study outcomes support continued implementation of interprofessional EL in health care graduate study programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on an article by C. J. Peek that focuses on Don Bloch's vision of collaborative family health care and the evolution over the past 20 years of the field. He mentions the importance of family in Bloch's and the Wingspread workgroup's ecosystemic collaborative care model. The author thinks that the ability of the health care consumer and professionals to collaborate in a more egalitarian and less hierarchial manner hinders progress.

C. J. Peek has done us two lasting services with this beautiful summary. He has reminded us of Don Bloch's contributions to the beginning of collaborative family health care, and he has catalogued the elements of Don's vision for the field. Don's vision was for "collaborative family health care." Although we have made a great deal of progress developing collaborative health care that he would endorse, the full vision including the family as a basic unit of care and of understanding in health care is still ahead of us. The requirement of the inclusion of the family in the formulation of the patient-centered medical home may provide the impetus for a full realization of the "unrounded corners" version of Don's vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on C. J. Peek's article about the legacy of family therapist Don Bloch. He mentions the gifts bestowed by Bloch on the field of collaborative family health care such as the Collaborative Family Health Care Association. The author also looks at the depth of Bloch's leadership and how Peek's historical method can be used to get one's act most effectively to advance the field.

The author comments on the vision of Don Bloch and his colleagues in the Collaborative Family Health Care Association (CHFCA). He describes Bloch's ecosystemic perspective as well as his emphasis on families. He provides brief background information on CHFCA. The author describes Bloch as a synthetic thinker and a catalytic leader.