72nd MDG changes hours of operation Published Dec. 12, 2014 By Capt. Diana Kofron 72nd Medical Group TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 72nd Medical Group is making changes to their operating hours due to numerous training requirements. But don't worry, the changes will not impact appointments or access to care. As of Jan. 1, mandatory training for Medical Group personnel will take place every Wednesday from 7 to 9 a.m. Therefore, all patient care and ancillary services such as laboratory, pharmacy and radiology in the Main Clinic (Bldg. 1094) will not open until 9 a.m. The Occupational Medicine Clinic (Bldg. 3334) will continue to provide patient care from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Additionally, the Appointment Line (734-2778) will remain operational during these hours. The first Wednesday of the new duty hours will be Jan. 7. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday will be normal operation hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Previously, the Medical Group closed at noon every third Wednesday for training and re-opened on Thursday morning. Beneficiaries of the Medical Group were finding it hard to remember closure times and it was difficult for the medics to complete required training in less than four hours a month. Medics, from more than 30 Air Force Specialty Codes, are mandated to complete training on disaster team and deployment responsibilities, and work center specific education to provide safe, quality care in an efficient manner. The new training time on Wednesday from 7 to 9 a.m. mandates time to meet training requirements, reduces interruption to clinical services and provides flexibility to complete short notice training requirements. The new training schedule is more in line with other Air Force bases and medical units. The primary mission of the 72nd Medical Group is to support and provide safe, quality care. This focused training will ensure the medics enable Team Tinker the ability to perform best physically, mentally and emotionally.