Just to chime in here as a NY resident.
The term "Public Acccountant" is a throw back term (1959 to be exact).
I believe the term is reserved for those who are registered as Public Accountant's with NY.
This term, similar to the CPA designation, is not to be used by someone who is not in fact a qualified Public Accountant.
Before I was licensed as a CPA (back in my just out of college days) I used this in my personal letterhead, before I understood the implications.
Certified Public Accountant and Public Accountant are titles that may only be used by those who are licensed by the Board of Regents to offer public accounting services in NYS. While certified public accountants (CPAs) and public accountants (PAs) are both licensed to perform the same public accounting services, they prepare differently to become licensed.
The title "accountant" by itself is not limited in NYS - anyone, regardless of the level of their training or experience, can call themselves an "accountant," whether they have a license or not.
A Public Accountant has a license based solely upon public accounting experience. This is the result of a one-time provision of a 1959 licensing law which allowed those with the required experience to use the PA title and earn a PA license.
While CPAs and PAs have prepared differently for their NYS licenses, they have identical rights to practice public accounting in NYS. In addition, practicing CPAs and PAs must satisfy annual continuing professional education requirements.
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/cpa/cpabroch.htmPractice of public accountancy and use of title "certified public accountant" or "public accountant". Only a person licensed or otherwise authorized to practice under this article shall practice public accountancy or use the title "certified public accountant" or the designation CPA or "public accountant" or the designation PA or any other derivative or designation provided in section seventy-four hundred eight of this article.
Have filed a declaration of intention to practice as a public accountant with the department on or before October first, nineteen hundred fifty-nine, on the basis of evidence that the applicant was engaged for a total of six years during the ten years immediately preceding April twenty-third, nineteen hundred fifty-nine, in the practice of public accountancy as an individual practitioner or as a partner of a partnership or as an employee of such an individual practitioner or partnership engaged in the practice of public accountancy or as an employee of a department, agency or instrumentality of the United States
Any person shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor who shall use, in connection with the practice of public accountancy, or in any manner tending to imply that he or she is an independent accountant or auditor, the designations "chartered accountant", "certified accountant", "expert accountant", "certified tax accountant", "tax accountant", "enrolled accountant", "enrolled public accountant", "registered accountant", "licensed accountant", "incorporated accountant", "registered public accountant", "licensed public accountant", or any abbreviation thereof, or the letters "C.A.", "E.A.", "C.T.A.", "T.A.", "E.P.A.", "R.A.", "L.A.", "I.A.", "P.A.", "R.P.A.", or, "L.P.A.", except as provided elsewhere in this article, or any other designation tending to imply that he or she has expert knowledge in accounting or auditing. The title "enrolled agent" or the designation "E.A." may only be used by individuals so designated by the United States Internal Revenue Service.
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/cpa/article149.htmThis concludes your education into the NY CPA and PA system.