TYNDALL AFB, Fla. -- (Editor's note: This is the last of a three-part feature series highlighting the 325th Medical Group's women's health clinic, flight medicine, and family practice.) 

For most base members - active duty, retired, family members and many others - this intensely busy location is the center of their healthcare universe. 

It's where patients of all ages typically go to visit their medical care provider and receive routine treatment for everything from minor body aches to chronic illnesses. 

This hub of the medical wheel at Tyndall is the 325th Medical Operations Squadron's family practice clinic. The roughly 46-plus staff members are part of the squadron's medical services flight, one that also includes physical therapy, immunizations and internal medicine clinics under its wide umbrella of primary care. 

With a total patient pool of 16,200 people, one could infer that, at least for staff members, this clinic is no place for the 'faint of heart.' 

"As one of the busiest family practices in the command, they currently have seven total providers (down recently from nine), who have about 1,500 patients enrolled to each of them," said Master Sgt. Alberto Boykin, 325th MDOS superintendent. 

Family practice is organized into two primary care management teams - Eagle and Raptor. Each team has four subunits consisting of a provider (a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner), a nurse (usually a captain or major), two enlisted aerospace medical service technicians and an administrative technician. The providers typically care for more than 30 patients daily. 

Incoming patients first meet with an administrative technician who ensures they are fully checked in, pulls their medical record and posts it to the member's respective provider. 

The medical service technicians screen the record for any missing or inconsistent data, ensuring that when the provider enters the treatment or examination room, they avoid wasting time because of disconnects in information. 

Next, they perform a variety of initial checks, such as weight, blood pressure and temperature. In addition to assisting providers with routine appointments, medical service technicians also spend many hours poring over active-duty members' Physical Health Assessment records, ensuring Tyndall troops on world wide deployment status are physically and administratively fit to fight. 

A new practice is on the horizon called Pulminary Function tests, which will allow providers to diagnose pulmonary-related disease, said Maj. Timothy Howerton, 325th MDOS physician assistant. 

As for the appointment line, patients are urged to refrain from calling the appointment line during the daily peak period, which is from 7-8 a.m., when several hundred callers may be attempting to get through. 

"Our new information help line has been designed to direct patients to the appropriate office for needs," Sergeant Boykin said. "The Tricare Service center, where patients can go if they have needs, is now located next to the main pharmacy for benefit questions, billing issues or other needs." 

Another way the clinic has improved is by using the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application system, which tracks electronic medical records, instead of the Provider Graphic User Interface, a patient information software program. 

"The mission of family practice is to keep active duty members fit to fight at all times through preventive medicine," Major Howerton said.