Which competency statement emphasizes the primary duty of a nurse to ensure safe, competent, and ethical care?

The choice highlighting the primary duty of a nurse to ensure safe, competent, and ethical care is indeed focused on Professional Responsibility and Accountability. This competency emphasizes that nurses are responsible for their actions and decisions in the practice of nursing and must adhere to established standards of care and ethical guidelines.

Professional Responsibility and Accountability encompasses the obligation to provide care that is both safe and competent. It reinforces the importance of recognizing the limits of one’s own knowledge and skills, advocating for patients clearly, and engaging in continuing education to maintain and enhance competencies. This statement serves as a foundation for the trust that patients place in nurses, assuring them that their well-being is the nurse's foremost concern.

While other options like Self-Regulation and Ethical Practice also address important aspects of nursing, they do not encapsulate the broad spectrum of accountability and duty defined in the context of delivering care. Service to the Public highlights the commitment nurses have toward the community but does not specifically address the individual responsibility for maintaining safe and competent practice in the context of patient care.