Nursechick I can relate ! I have also had the unpleasant experience of another nurse witnessing an incident and not documenting then being held responsible because I was " charge-nurse".I also have been repeatedly told what I 'should and should not document" by an Administrator or D.O.N. I have been an R.N. 15 years and know very well the "leagalease" neccessary for documentation...objective not subjective..what was "witnessed by me" or was "reported"...etc...etc...I have also been threatened or terminated for documenting or not documenting because an incident was witnessed by another nurse and documentation was not done or done but not according to what the facility wanted.It is very demeaning and I felt I was treated unfairly..My suggestion is this: 1) Always do an incident report according to facility policies 2) Always do an assessment on the resident/patient 3) NOTIFY the DON or administrator immediately 4) NOTIFY the physician 5) NOTIFY the resident/patient medical POA ...then chart objectively what was reported ( never never put staff names in pt record) CHART ONLY facts ....your assessment of the resident/patient...physical and cognitive status...complete the incident report and give it to the responsible administrative staff. They must also report an incident of this sort to State authorities.Anytime resident to resident physical contact is made it is imperiative that you as a professional nurse report the incident and follow the state requirements for reporting as you can be held legally responsible for neglect.I understand your point that you did not witness the incident however you were the "charge nurse" and ultimately responsible for implementing the appropriate documentation and notifying the appropriate persons.Protect yourself and your patients first and foremost.Also document what you did to prevent further contact between the residents...be specific and follow through to ensure no further contact is possible.We get overworked and overloaded but as you say you want to be the best possible nurse so to do so we have to be willing to take the time to follow a situation through.I hope I helped you and believe me I fully understand. The employer cannot disclose an "earful "of anything or they can suffer legal consequences and although you sign a release of information employers avoid giving detrimental information...they may simply say you are not eligible for rehire to a prospective employer.You will be able to work again so don't give up.My experience taught me a valuable lesson and I always document and follow through on any incident.