Should I do research in med school if I come from a research background?

[Dr Meow]

I'm 28. For the past 8 years, I've researched at NIH and a biotech startup company. From NIH, I got 3 publications in immunology/cancer journals. In the startup biotech, I have 4 abstracts for immunology/cancer conferences.
*I'm not sure if abstracts are worth as much as journals but I'm first author on everything.

So I have 7 total research items all in immunology.

But in med school, I'm hoping to do Surgery.

Will my past publications help me get into any specialty whether it is rads, anesthetiology, surgery, etc or will it ONLY help me get into the relevant specialty which I guess is Internal Medicine -> Heme/Onc or Immunology?

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[AnatomyGrey12]

It will definitely help. I would still do something in medical school to show continued research commitment. Looks good on an app.

 

[Internist_Sandman]

Yes, research is not just about lines on a CV. Ideally it is about networking and demonstrating your ability to be high-functioning and get good grades while publishing. Also, research commonly comes up in interviews and med school research means more than prior research, usually.