{"id":8204,"date":"2025-09-01T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/?p=8204"},"modified":"2025-10-03T14:06:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T18:06:48","slug":"from-the-classroom-to-the-clinic-how-caroline-carswell-brings-a-teachers-heart-to-unc-radiology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/2025\/09\/from-the-classroom-to-the-clinic-how-caroline-carswell-brings-a-teachers-heart-to-unc-radiology\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Classroom to the Clinic: Meet Caroline Carswell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"How Caroline Carswell Brings a Teacher\u2019s Heart to UNC Radiology<\/h1>\n

If you had told Caroline Carswell a few years ago that she would be working in medical education \u2014 specifically in the highly specialized world of Interventional Radiology \u2014 she might have raised an eyebrow. After all, she spent nine years in an elementary classroom, teaching second graders who often didn\u2019t speak a word of English when they first arrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not a typical second-grade teacher,\u201d Caroline recalls. \u201cAny student who came directly from another country would be placed in my classroom. In a class of 20 English language learners, I often had six or seven different languages represented at once. They\u2019d arrive not speaking English, and my job was to find creative ways to communicate and start their educational journey here.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was challenging, creative, and deeply rewarding work \u2014 but after nearly a decade, she felt ready for something new. \u201cTeachers usually \u2018change things up\u2019 by switching schools or grade levels. But my work with English language learners was so unique and fulfilling that nothing in traditional teaching felt like it could measure up,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

Caroline began thinking beyond the classroom. \u201cI wanted to find an educational role where I wasn\u2019t directly teaching but could still support people who were learning. Obviously, I\u2019m not a doctor, but I could still help in meaningful ways.\u201d Her search led her to UNC \u2014 a place she describes as \u201cvery prestigious\u201d \u2014 and soon she stepped into the role of Program Coordinator for the Interventional Radiology Residency and Fellowship programs.<\/p>\n

A Role That\u2019s Anything But Routine<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Caroline\u2019s work now is a blend of organization, logistics, problem-solving, and people skills. She focuses on residents rather than faculty \u2014 scheduling conferences, supporting onboarding, coordinating orientation, managing interviews, assisting with graduation, and keeping the year\u2019s big events running smoothly.<\/p>\n

Her day-to-day is never exactly the same. \u201cWe work in cycles,\u201d she explains. \u201cAt different times of the year, the big priorities shift \u2014 one month it\u2019s interviews, another month it\u2019s graduation prep. In between, I\u2019m handling schedules, evaluations, verifications, and all the little details that make the residency run.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Caroline\u2019s favorite aspects of the job is spotting ways to make things better. \u201cWhen I started, I learned the residents\u2019 projector wasn\u2019t producing the sharp resolution they needed for Radiology images. I went down a rabbit hole researching projectors \u2014 it took a year of coordinating, but it was installed just in time for orientation! That\u2019s the part I love \u2014 seeing a solution come together and making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCaroline\u2019s attention to detail and organization is second to none, which makes her perfect for a role where compliance and regulations are so key,\u201d says Blair Allen, Business Operations Manager.\u00a0 \u201cMy favorite thing about Caroline is that she is always willing to stop and help anyone with any task. No task is too big or too small for her to lend a hand. Caroline embodies the positive culture we want to achieve as a full staff team in our department and it\u2019s hard for me to believe she\u2019s only been in Radiology for one year.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Second Graders to Second-Year Residents<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Caroline is quick to point out that her teaching experience still serves her every day. \u201cIn teaching, I spent a lot of time figuring out where understanding broke down for a student and addressing it. Now, if a resident asks about a policy, I think about whether the confusion is from the wording, from how it was presented, or from something we missed in orientation. It\u2019s the same skill \u2014 just a different audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her communication style reflects that teacher\u2019s mindset, too. \u201cIf I notice the same questions keep coming up, I know it\u2019s time to rework whatever\u2019s causing the confusion. That\u2019s just how my brain works \u2014 always trying to make things clearer and more efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCaroline has been a wonderful addition to the education team,\u201d says Allison Speagle, Education Manager. She is always willing to learn new things and help others. She does a great job keeping up with the hectic and ever-changing schedules and duties related to her job. We are lucky to have her on our team!\u201d<\/p>\n

Outside the Office: Strategy and Scenery<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Though she describes herself as introverted, Caroline enjoys connecting with colleagues \u2014 sometimes through unexpected channels. She helps with Snack Day as a way to see people beyond her office, and she\u2019s always ready to lend a hand, whether it\u2019s setting up for Grand Rounds or jumping in on a project.<\/p>\n

Outside of work, she and her husband play\u00a0Magic: The Gathering<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 often at a local gameboard brewery\u2019s Thursday night casual play event. \u201cI enjoy playing because it sharpens my strategic thinking. You have to plan several moves ahead but also think on your feet to adapt and solve problems as they come,\u201d she explains. They also love hiking at spots like Umstead and the Eno River, where she\u2019s known to stop mid-trail to marvel at something in nature.<\/p>\n

A Reflective Problem-Solver<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Caroline had to sum herself up in one word, it would be\u00a0reflective<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019m always analyzing \u2014 thinking about what happened, how people felt, and how we can do it better next time.\u201d Her friends would describe her as creative, organized, and motivated \u2014 a fitting trio for someone who\u2019s made a career out of building bridges between people, processes, and possibilities.<\/p>\n

Her autobiography title?\u00a0The Wandering Learner: A Journey Through Curiosity<\/em>
\nHer dream casting for a movie version of her life? Annie Murphy.
\nAnd her go-to playlist? Kelly Clarkson, \u201cthe old school version of Taylor Swift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether she\u2019s fine-tuning a policy, tracking down the perfect projector, or making sure residents feel supported from orientation to graduation, Caroline\u2019s heart is in the same place it\u2019s always been \u2014 helping people succeed. \u201cI just really like helping people,\u201d she says simply. \u201cThat\u2019s the constant.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you had told Caroline Carswell a few years ago that she would be working in medical education \u2014 specifically in the highly specialized world of Interventional Radiology \u2014 she might have raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83776,"featured_media":8205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[83,91,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-department-news","category-homepage-news","category-in-the-news","odd"],"acf":[],"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/08\/Banff-Canada.jpg","featured_image_medium":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/08\/Banff-Canada-300x225.jpg","featured_image_medium_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/08\/Banff-Canada-768x576.jpg","featured_image_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/08\/Banff-Canada-1024x768.jpg","featured_image_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/08\/Banff-Canada-150x150.jpg","featured_image_alt":"woman sliming at the camera in the foreground as she wears a life vest. She is in a canoe with a guy in the background who is smiling at the camera too. A picturesque water, mountains and sky are in the background. ","category_details":[{"name":"Department News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/"},{"name":"Homepage News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/homepage-news\/"},{"name":"IN THE NEWS","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/in-the-news\/"}],"tag_details":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8204"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8295,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8204\/revisions\/8295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}