Septation Station 🫀

Master Congenital Heart Disease Embryology for USMLE Step 1

An interactive quiz platform built specifically for second-year medical students preparing for Step 1. Learn CHD embryology the way it will actually be tested: through clinical vignettes, not flashcards.

🎯 Why This Tool Exists

Medical students don't fail Step 1 CHD questions because they're not smart enough. They fail because they try to memorize static facts about dynamic developmental processes.

Septation Station teaches you to think in three levers:

1. STRUCTURE (what formed)
2. PROCESS (how it failed)
3. TIMING (when it broke)

When you understand these three elements, the lesion, genetics, and clinical picture become inevitable - not memorized.

🚀 Features

📝 Quiz Mode

• Random Step 1-style clinical vignettes across all 12 major CHD lesions
• Instant feedback with full embryologic explanations
• Learn from every mistake with "why the distractors are wrong" breakdowns

🎯 Topic Drill Mode

• Focus on specific categories:
  • Cyanotic vs Acyanotic defects
  • Conotruncal defects (neural crest)
  • Genetic syndromes (22q11.2, Trisomy 21, Turner, Noonan, Holt-Oram)
• Target your weak areas

📊 Progress Tracking

• Real-time accuracy metrics
• Streak tracking for motivation
• Weak area identification after each quiz
• All progress saved locally (no login required)

🧬 Comprehensive Embryology Framework

Every question includes:

• Three-lever analysis (structure × process × timing)
• Genetic associations (22q11.2, TBX5, NKX2-5, etc.)
• Teratogen hooks (rubella, diabetes, lithium, fetal alcohol)
• Differential diagnosis logic (why THIS defect, not THAT one)

📚 Coverage

All 12 High-Yield CHD Lesions:

1. ASD (Secundum) - Septum primum/secundum (wk 5-6)
2. VSD (Membranous) - Cushions + ridges + muscle (wk 5-8)
3. PDA - Left 6th arch persistence (wk 6)
4. Coarctation - Aortic arch remodeling (wk 4-6)
5. Pulmonic Stenosis - Valve dysplasia (wk 5-7)
6. Tetralogy of Fallot - Conal septum malalignment (wk 5-7)
7. d-TGA - Aorticopulmonary septum spiral failure (wk 5-7)
8. TAPVR - Pulmonary vein malincorporation (wk 4-6)
9. Truncus Arteriosus - No AP septum (wk 5-7)
10. AV Canal - Endocardial cushion failure (wk 5-6)
11. Ebstein Anomaly - Tricuspid delamination failure (wk 8)
12. HLHS - LV underdevelopment (wk 4-8)

20+ Clinical Vignettes

Each written to mirror actual Step 1 question style:

• Patient age, presentation, and exam findings
• Diagnostic test results (echo, CXR)
• Embryologic reasoning required (not just pattern recognition)

🎨 Design Philosophy

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

• Single HTML file (works offline after first load)
• No backend, no database, no complexity
• Mobile-optimized (study anywhere)
• Clean, distraction-free interface
• Color-coded by lesion category (visual learning)

🏥 How to Use

For Studying:

1. Start with Quiz Mode to assess baseline knowledge
2. Review weak areas identified at the end
3. Use Topic Drill to focus on problem categories
4. Repeat until patterns become automatic

For Quick Review:

• Each question takes 2-3 minutes
• Full embryology explanations available on-demand
• Perfect for spare moments between lectures or clinical rotations

Before Step 1:

• Run through all 20 questions
• Focus on why the distractors are wrong (this is where deep learning happens)
• Use the three-lever framework to approach any CHD question

🧠 Learning Strategy

Active Recall > Passive Reading

This tool implements active recall testing, proven to be 300% more effective than re-reading notes.

Spacing Effect

Use this tool multiple times over weeks (not cramming). The questions shuffle randomly to prevent memorization of question order.

Interleaving

Questions mix across categories (cyanotic, acyanotic, conotruncal) to force your brain to discriminate, not just recognize.

💾 Technical Details

• Frontend Only: HTML + CSS (Tailwind) + Vanilla JavaScript
• Data Storage: JSON files (easily extendable)
• Progress Tracking: Browser localStorage (no server needed)
• Mobile Responsive: Works on phones, tablets, laptops
• Offline Capable: PWA-ready (works without internet after first load)

🚀 Deployment

Host on GitHub Pages:

1. Go to your repository Settings
2. Navigate to Pages
3. Select Source: Deploy from branch
4. Select Branch: claude/ultrathink-excellence-011CUsDb9Vxqip1rAd6R2thk or your main branch
5. Your site will be live at: https://yourusername.github.io/Septation-Station/

Or Host Anywhere:

Simply upload all files to any static web host:

• Netlify (drag and drop)
• Vercel
• AWS S3 + CloudFront
• Any web server

📖 Study Tips

1. Don't just memorize answers - Understand the embryologic why
2. Focus on differentials - Step 1 loves "why not the other option"
3. Link genetics to mechanisms - 22q11.2 → neural crest → conotruncal defects (not random association)
4. Think in timelines - Week 4-6 issues ≠ Week 8 issues
5. Clinical context matters - Down syndrome + fixed split S2 → immediately think endocardial cushions

🎓 About

Created for medical students, by someone who understands that understanding beats memorization every single time.

The content is based on high-yield Step 1 embryology, structured around the three-lever framework (structure × process × timing) that makes CHD embryology click instead of being a memorization nightmare.

📝 Future Enhancements (Potential)

• Add image-based questions (echo, CXR, path slides)
• Spaced repetition algorithm (bring back weak questions)
• Timed mode (simulate exam pressure)
• Detailed analytics (time per question, improvement over time)
• More questions (expand to 50+ vignettes)
• Peer comparison (anonymous leaderboards)

🤝 Contributing

Found an error? Have a suggestion? Want to add more questions?

• Open an issue
• Submit a pull request
• All contributions welcome

📜 License

Open source for educational use. Help your classmates learn.

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"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change medical education are the ones who do."

Now go ace those CHD questions. 🚀