03/08/2026
Today is International Women's Day, and we celebrate the achievements of women in orthopedics.
One of our surgeons, Dr. Marcy Word Clements, was the first female to complete the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Orthopedic Residency program. She shares about her decision to practice orthopedics and the challenges she’s faced along the way since beginning the residency program in 1990:
“When I was a medical student, and I would tell people that I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon, they would tend to be less than encouraging. I had a couple of practicing surgeons laugh at me when I told them my plans. I was told that I would have to work harder to prove my worth if I was going to get picked for an orthopedic residency position.
While I wasn’t treated any worse than any other resident during my training, I did have to endure sexist comments and passive aggressive behavior from other residents, attending physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff. It took some time to prove myself to everyone, but I think by the time I finished training, I had gained the respect of others to the point that I didn’t have to deal with that as much. I did (and still do) occasionally run up against a patient that didn’t/doesn’t want to see me because I am a woman, but I consider that their loss, not mine!
Times have definitely changed since 1990! When I started out, women made up only about 2% of orthopedic surgeons. That number has more than doubled and almost tripled! I would go to an orthopedic conference back then and maybe see one or two other women there. Now there are at least double digits! There still aren’t any lines in the women’s bathrooms at orthopedic conferences, though!
It never even entered my mind that I couldn’t be an orthopedic surgeon simply because I was a woman. In reality, discrimination could have derailed my professional pursuits, but God had other plans!”
